For you
by Allein
Summary: Naruto has no memory of his childhood before he was eight years old&lived alone in his apartment,but he didn't mind.He still had his friends and senseis,one thing he didn't know was a relative of his who was responsible for his memory loss awaken from her long sleep. Surprisingly,she wasn't a ninja, along with Kakashi,Kyouna tried to make amends of her faults.Kakashi/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters, Masashi Kisimoto does.**

I started the story from Naruto ep.162, about the cursed warrior. This is my first fict, sorry for the bad grammar, well, I'm kinda suck in it.

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**Chapter 1  
**

_She was sitting on the back porch of their house that afternoon; facing their large backyard with posts, right beside her sat a long red haired woman. She smiled as looked up to the clear blue sky above them. Sunlight went from the back of her head when she turned to face the little girl, made her face looked dazzled. She could only saw her warm smile and her long hair._

_"Ne, honey always remembers where you belong. The places where you grew in, people who cares of you. That is you call it home, a family. Don't forget that!" that woman smiling again._

_"Okaasama?" she asked weakly, afraid to disturb her then she turned her head and saw a man stood in the backyard. He wore a complete samurai warrior suit without helmet, waived his katana on his right hand to a big log and cut it into pieces. His katana sparkled by the sunlight as he raised it. He stoped moving and turned to her. _

_"Otousama? Is that you?" she blinked confusedly when the man ignored her and opened his mouth started to say something._

_"Do not forget love, you're not only inherits your mother's blood. You are an onna-bugeisha. You fight for honor."_

_Suddenly everything looked so bright and hurt her eyes; she shut her eyes to avoid the light, until she heard a voice calling out her name. She opened her eyes and found her self in the white room, she saw an old man with white robe wore a red-white cap with kanji __火__, meant fire, on his head stood before her. The old man smiled warmly at her."Welcome to Konoha Kyouna, this place will be your home." _

_She blinked her eyes and examined the room while thought about his words. "Konoha?"_

_Averting her gaze from the old man, she saw a man with blonde spiky hair with bangs ran down beside his face stood together with a woman beside the old man. Her long red hair looked similar with her mothers. They smiled warmly to her as the old man said again. _

_"From now on you're going to live here with them, they're your family." _

* * *

**Konoha.**

"Hmm… Bird country? 'A ghost known as Noroimusha has been creating a commotion outside the palace'." Kakashi looked confused when he read the mission paper handled to him from the Godaime. " They want us exterminated ghost?"

"We tried to refuse by telling that we can't do ghost exorcism but..." Tsunade sighed tiredly. "He begged at me and gave all of his own savings because he thought the money was not enough. Though the real problem isn't the money, with that payment, I'm not sure I can find any volunteer for this mission."

"Maa…So you in the end accepted it?" Kakashi still felt unsure with this kind of mission.

"You might say I'm generous, but the majority of the jōnin and chūnin are already away on different missions. I was wondering what should I do, until I found on your history report lists that you have dealt with same case long time ago." She said with serious tone. Kakashi gazed at the paper in deep thought, tried to remember something.

"Aah…it was a long time ago Tsunade-sama, I have a very special partner who expert in exorcism thing at that time. But you know, I just finished my mission and Bird country is far enough from here, also today is-" Kakashi didn't continue his words when he raised his face and saw Godaime's face started to turn scary as usual if she got rejected.

"I know who you mean with special partner Kakashi, but I've already assigned Naruto, Tenten and Neji for this mission. However, they're still genins and need a jōnin to assist them."

"Naruto? You won't like the report if you send him to this mission. He's afraid of ghost." Kakashi sighed heavily, his noisy student who claimed will be the greatest Hokage in the future turned into nothing more than a coward little boy when he heard about ghosts or any scary stories.

"That's why I send you too. It's a ghost they have to deal with, if Naruto face something with it, you're the only one who can help him." She insisted. "At least I guess you know a little but about exorcism since-"

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll assist them. However, I will hide in the shadow to watch them. And please don't tell them about me, I think Neji could handle Tenten and Naruto well, it's a good leadership training for them. Beside, there is something I need to do first about this mission." Godaime nodded gladly as he finally accepted the mission."Nah, I think I'm leaving now Hokage-sama."

Kakashi walked out the Hokage's room and decided to wander around the shopping district in Konoha for a while to clear his head although he never liked the crowded place. He stopped walking and turned to Yamanaka's shop, this shop was the one and only florist in this village run by Yamanaka clan. He knew Inoichi-san. The clan's head, member of Konohagakure Intelligence Division and was one of his late father acquaintance. His daughter was a genin of his friend's students. He remembered Asuma told him about a bossy blonde girl in his genin group, that wasn't because he got lot interacted with them but his student, Sakura, was the best friend of her. Shrugged, he went into the store and didn't expected to found Ino was in charge there.

"_Irasshaimase_!" Ino greeted cheerfully to their customer with a pot of flower in her hand before she frowned and blinked rapidly when she realized who was coming. "Eh, Kakashi-sensei?" She exclaimed in surprise, the man waved his gloved hand and smiled.

"Yo, Ino! Um... Do you have any daisies? I want to make a bouquet." Kakashi looked around the shop, tried to find the flower. "Uh, can you add some colors for my bouquet? White or pink daisies maybe, I never good at this." He glanced at the shop girl and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Please?" Ino snapped from her surprise, she nodded and started prepared the flowers.

"_Hai_, 500 ryō sensei." She handled the bouquet and grinning. "Who are they for?" She smiled curiously at the man.

"Maa…it's for a friend. Hahaha…_Mata ne_!" Kakashi slipped his hand into his pocket to get the money and walked out the store.

"Coming again sensei!" Ino smiled widely after Kakashi paid the bouquet and left. "I never saw Kakashi sensei bought any flower before." She muttered to herself when her mother back to the shop and heard it.

"He used to come and bought a bouquet of daisies every may seventh, Ino." Her mother said and pointed the calendar, smiling as she saw her daughter's eyes widened. "Hee? Really?" Ino still confused. _Sakura never told me_.

* * *

Kakashi landed in front of a big wooden _torii_ gate with big stone beside the gate and 'Konoha shrine' graved on it, after took a rooftop routes from the shopping district. He started to climb up the stairs still holding the bouquet on his hand and stopped as he saw the old man stood in front of the Chōzuya when he reached the sandō.

"Kakashi-san!" The old man with robe saw and greeted him when he entered the forecourt of the shrine, Kakashi bowed politely at the man. "Coming again?" He asked with smile.

"Yes, Tsurubuchi-sama, but I'm in hurry. I am really sorry, but can you give it to her? I have a mission to do, and I don't have much time to have my visit. I wish you can give your blessing." Kakashi gave the bouquet to the Kannushi, the old man looked a little confused at this. He knew no matter busy was the man, he never forget to visit her and prayed.

"It's not something to deal with killing people ne Kakashi-san?" Kakashi shook his head and made an expression.

"No, but I'm going to have a deal with the dead, Kannushi-sama." Tsurubuchi raised his eyebrows, he never heard any shinobi could deal with something like that before. Not if they joined their mission with them.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the other side of village, Naruto was busy eating ramen in his favorite place when he realized someone watching him eating from the side of the stall, he glanced sideway and stopped eating. "What's with that guy, ne, Teuchi-ossan?" He asked the ramen stall owner.

"He's been like that for awhile" Teuchi whispered, Naruto tried to ignored the weird glasses guy and kept eating but the guy stared him again with drool over his mouth. He started to lose his patience, and jumped out to confront the person.

"If you keep staring like that, even a delicious ramen noodle would be hard to eat, you know. If you hungry come in and eat!" He said angrily to the glassed man outside the Ramen bar.

"No, I'm not hungry at all!" The guy hold his grip tightly, but then suddenly his stomach growled, loud enough so Naruto could heard it too and made him blushed. Naruto blinked for a moment, before he bursting in laugh.

"Nah, don't worry _niisan_, I'll treat you. Come in!" Naruto griped the person's hand to enter the stall and called out the Restaurant owner. However, 20 minutes later he was shock seeing this weird _oniisan_ could eat six bowls of ramen with that speed. Maybe he just too hungry, he thought.

"Thanks for coming! The next time you come; have Naruto to treat you again!" Teuchi-san smiled widely as Naruto looked sad to his green frog wallet, which was not chubby anymore.

"Jeez, to say something like that isn't even a joke." He pouted at the bill. The glassed guy rubbed his back head in guilty.

"I'm really sorry to make you pay like that. As thanks, I will..."

"No no, don't worry about that." Naruto cut him off and shoved his wallet back to his pocket. "By the way, _nii-chan_, what's your name? I have not seen your face in the village before. I am Uzumaki Naruto!" He introduced his self, the guy sighed in relieve and smiled.

"My name is Chishima, from Bird country. I came to Konoha to request a mission."

"_Nii-chan_, you came to hire help from Konoha and you have no money?" Naruto titled his head in confused, remembering his situation, Chishima rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Uhm...You see, there wasn't enough money and I have to use my savings, so..."

"So then it must be a quite important mission huh?" Naruto cut him off again, the glasses guy nodded.

Naruto dragged him to the brick chair near the road and started asked him to tell his story about his childhood friend who was chosen to being a young Daimyo in Bird country because his father and his twin sister died in illness, that causing him to be a completely different person. He worried about him as his friend rather than as his Daimyo, he suspected that is something wrong behind it, so he came to Konoha for help. Naruto frowned, he remembered could not save Sasuke, his friend, and he knew the feeling.

"Leave it to me, let's save your friend!" He promised. "I'll talk to Hokage! Come on!" he dragged the guy and ran to Hokage tower. Naruto left Chishima out of the tower and stared the door with worried.

"Is he will be alright, Naruto-san?" the guy muttered worriedly as he saw the boy ran eagerly into the tower.

* * *

"You're mean Tsunade-baachan." Naruto slammed into the office and hit his fist on the table, the Hokage and Shizune watched him in confuse with papers in their hands.

"Hey, when you're going to barge in to someone office, you could at least knock the door." Tsunade said calmly, stared the small blonde intruder who started yelling in her office. Naruto waved his hand.

"Forget that. What's with you're taking _nii-chan's _money and refuse his mission? You call people who do that, an Oni, you know. You're an Oni-baba!" Naruto snapped and made Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"I dare you to say that once more!" She threatened the boy with the glint on her narrowed eyes.

"You're an Oni-baba!" Naruto repeated, and then he got a punch flew to his face as response for his words. "Yaiks, that hurt!" He shouted in pain, as he glared at the older woman on her desk.

"Damn it! Who said we didn't accept?" Tsunade yelled back at the blonde boy who rubbed his cheek and gazed her with confuse look. "I have to wait another genin to make a team, and Neji and his team haven't back yet from their mission."

"Oh so, that was it. You're just waiting for Neji to return from his mission, huh?" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"You blockhead!" Tsunade grumped, Naruto grinned innocently. "Lee is in the middle of mission with Gai, you go as three-man team with Tenten and Neji as the leader. That's good, right?" He nodded lazily. _Neji again._ He was send with the Hyūga boy again, it's like he always got a mission with him lately. Shizune, the browned short haired woman in dark blue kimono walked closely to Naruto and asked.

"So, you're heard from that boy what this mission entails?"

"Huh? Well, not yet but -" Both Naruto and Sizune peered at Tsunade's sudden darkened faced.

"It's a ghost extermination." The Hokage said darkly. Naruto's face suddenly turned pale and he gulped in nervousness.

"Ghost?"

"When they walking at night, it seems that a ghost cloaked in white armor appeared. That is- Huh?" Tsunade continued but stopped her words when she turned and didn't found Naruto anywhere, she stood and peered from her desk when her assistant pointed her finger down.

"H-Huh? I didn't hear anything about g-ghost." Naruto hugged his shaky legs in horror, leaned down himself to the desk.

"Are you afraid of ghost?" Tsunade shook her head in disbelief, Kakashi was true about this whisker scratched boy.

"I'm not scared! There's can't be a ninja that's scared of something like that."Naruto exclaimed as he stood and folded his arm. Both Tsunade and Sizune resisted their laughed as they peered down to his legs, they're still shaky, showed that the boy was really scared.

"B- b-but does ninjutsu works against them?" Naruto still stammered and shaken asked back to the older women, Shizune shrugged.

"Well, that's something you need to find it by yourself."

* * *

_Where am I ? _She blinked slowly, the blurry vision of white ceiling welcomed her sight. _It's too bright_. She closed her eyes again. She smells something, what is t? Is it the wind or...no, it's something else. It's smelled nice and fresh. She tried to open her eyes again. A gasp voice heard not far from her side, but she didn't care, she's not strong enough to turned her head, just where is she now. That ceiling wasn't familiar.

The nurse blinked rapidly and pinched her own hand, it's hurt, she wasn't dreaming right? She just wanted to do her daily check duty and she saw her patient's eyes opened. That eyes always closed for how long? Almost 4 years. She always thought that girl won't make it, but there, she's awake. Her patient was awake. The girl's eyes slowly opened again. That girl really awoke. She felt like wanted to screamed but no voice came out, with her shaken hand she reached the door and ran out of the room to break the news, they need to know about this.

Meanwhile, in her room the girl closed her eyes again, _where am i?_

* * *

"Geez, after finally catching Inoshi Mousou, we don't even get paid." Naruto whining in disappointed when the four of them stood in front of the castle pond, waiting for the ceremony started as Toki asked them to see. Neji glanced at him.

"Give up on it, Naruto." The blonde pouted back at the older genin. "But-"

"It seems that a harsh judgement is going to be laid down on the Watari Ninja." Tenten said as she leaned forward her body so she could see better view. Kakashi crossed his arms and stared forward lazily, started to getting bored for waiting.

"Yeah, Toki-san is finally released from herself destructive desire for revenge." He shrugged, the sound of Taiko heard from the castle, signaling the other that they will start the ceremony. Naruto widened his eyes in interest, "Haa…It's starting."

"_Tonariii…_" the door slowly opened, Toki stood between Komei and another man. She's wearing her royal kimono with her and stepped forward. Kakashi's visible eyes widened and his cheek flustered as he saw the princess.

"Woah…that's." He grasping in awed, Toki was look beautiful, her long hime-cut hair, her elegant looks, and she looked like..._her. _Kakashi snapped back, he shouldn't dozing off like this. They watched the ceremony till the end and sending their farewell to Toki and Chisama who sending them away from the gate of country.

"Toki nee-chan was super kind and super pretty." Naruto stopped walking and seeing the country from the mountain followed with his team. Kakashi hmmed and put his hand on his waist, felt glad with the mission was finally overed.

"I wonder if the Bird country will become a good country again like it used to be long ago."

Tenten who stood beside Naruto turned to asked.

"By the way, Naruto, did you really meet Sagi-sama's ghost?"

Naruto startled a little. "Don't even joke! There's no way ghost exist in this world! That was a dream." Kakashi hid his snickered as he stared at them, _yappari he met the ghost in this mission_. Neji crossed his hand and stared hardly to the country directions.

"_Ii_e. You can't say all of it was a dream." He said in serious tone. Tenten opened her mouth, she knew Neji always serious but Naruto jerked back.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Do you remember that first Noroimusha that we were chasing?" Naruto dazed in though as Tenten nodded to Neji.

"The inside was empty."

"Surely there was some trick to that, like some string or wire-"

"No, I saw it with Byakugan at that time." Neji cut off and shook his head, Tenten flicked her fingers as she remembered the first Noroimusha they've met.

"Ah, Neji said it didn't have the aura of the living."

"Right, I couldn't feel any aura coming from that Noroimusha."

"In other words, there was a ghost." Kakashi concluded the children discussing only to see how Naruto will react. As he expected, Naruto eyes widened in horror and started fisted his hair, he screaming frantically at the fact he had learnt.

"Heee?! So that was a real ghost after all?!" Kakashi held his laugh and ordered him to stop.

"Calm down, Naruto!" But the boy didn't hear, he closed his eyes still fisting his hair he shook his head and kept screaming.

"It's a lie! It's a lie! Please say that it's a lie! Aaargh…!"

* * *

"So, the real ghost did appear?" Tsunade chocked when she heard Kakashi's report, the jōnin nodded.

"Naruto kept denying about it, but when Neji told him that he didn't find any human presence, he freaked out." He giggled as remembered how freaked Naruto was.

"Aah… he's afraid with ghost, such a opposite with his cousin." the Hokage joined in laugh.

"I think I deserve day off after all of the troubles with Houki and his Watari group, right, Godaime-sama?" Kakashi asked after he stopped laughing.

"Okay, okay. Take your day off then." She waved in agreement and back to her papers, Kakashi bowed a little and walked to reach the door. "Ah, Kakashi wait a minute. Are you're going to visit her again?" Godaime's words made Kakashi stopped, he turned and shook his hand.

"Not today."

"Well, I just got the report from doctor that she's awake." Tsunade said, Kakashi's hand froze on doorknob."I'm telling you the truth." she added, then smiled when Kakashi disappeared from her face. "Haah… youngster," She sighed "But I just can't believe she can fell asleep for this very long time." She muttered and took another paper to read.

* * *

"How is her condition?" Kakashi looked through the window of intensive room in medical building, the one and only bricks building in Konoha's shrine site, up in the hill behind the Hokages face statue mountain. He didn't dare enough to get in the room, only watched her from the window with the old Kannushi beside him.

"I don't know how to say it, but she looked completely confuse." The Kannushi replied to him. Kakashi kept stood and examined the long dark haired girl behind the window who sit on her bed with pale face and blanked expression watching her hand.

"What is she doing?" Kakashi wondered.

"She seemed confuse with her body, she didn't do anything except looking her hand and said that she's not that little girl anymore." The Kannushi sighed. "Please, could you ask Godaime-sama to examine her again, Kakashi-san?" asked the Kannushi before left Kakashi_ behind._

"Ah!" Kakashi agreed, he'll do that for sure. He bowed politely and turned back to the window, surprised when he saw the girl already looked at his direction, their eyes met, but hers was completely blank. He sighed, at least she's awake. A nurse inside the room was aware with Kakashi's presence, she always saw that silver spiky guy around to visits her patient. She bowed and opened the window so Kakashi could moved closer and faced the girl.

"_Ohayo!"_ Kakashi greeted and gave his smiled eye, but the girl didn't do anything, she's only kept staring him blankly. "A very long time no see right?" he asked, still, no response. "I brought you this." He hand over a flower to the girl. A white daisy. She looked the flower, not rejected but also not accepted the flower, she turned to Kakashi and opened her lips.

"Who are you?" Kakashi closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sighed heavily. _She didn't remember._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Naruto.**

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**Chapter 2**

_"Okkaa?" a blonde baby looked right to her face and raised his hand to reach her. "Kaa" he clapped his hands cheerfully and gave her a happy baby smile. That was his first word, and she only could interprete it as Okaasan. She frowned, who was the mother anyway. She shook her head tried to fill herself with happy thought. It is his first word anyway. Doesn't it good? However, mental slapped hit her again, she was not his mother, that word does not have any meaning for her. No no no, it's not good._

_"It's good Naruto, but I'm not Okaasan, its nee-chan yo." She touched her chest and smiled. "Onee-chan". _

_The baby's blue eyes blinked then opened his mouth. "Nee" he repeated, Kyouna nodded. _

_"Right, I'm nee-chan." Naruto raised both his hands again. _

_"Ah, Kaa!" Kyouna sighed. Well, maybe not now, she laughed and took him close to her arms, he's just too cute._

* * *

"I don't know what happened to her but the worse case is to suspect that she got amnesia." Tsunade said, the grasped voiced heard behind her. "Her body is very weak because she's been sleeping in comatose for 3 years. Mostly stayed in bed for too long can weaken you. However, since she got the accident and coma we cannot help it. She needs to start do a physical training again, let her spend her time outdoor rather than in her room." She said after examined the girl.

"If she doesn't dealing with demon, I won't even believe someone could fell sealed and sleep for this long time." She murmured and turned to Kakashi, the man seemed worried but also relieved in the same time. "Kakashi, you're in charge to guard her!" The silver haired jōnin looked up, "Examined her, protect her and gave me a weekly report!" Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"How about the boy, Hokage-sama? Should we tell him?" The Kannushi remembered the only one girl's relative left. Tsunade looked at Kakashi, but the man shook his head.

"He didn't remember anything about her, I've asked him once about the girl named Tokugawa Kyouna, and he didn't know anything. It'll be useless to tell him about her right now, he'll only get shock." Kakashi said dryly. The fifth Hokage hmmed in thought.

"Let's wait until she regains her power and memory, I'll ask Inoichi to help her. I'm afraid she sealed his memory away."

"If the boy's memories are under the seal, can you release it, Hokage-sama?" the Kannushi asked hopefully. Tsunade sighed, she knew what the old man wanted sadly she shook her head.

"We will try our best, but we know no one can beat Uzumaki's clan seal jutsu. She learnt a very useful jutsu since she was a kid. Only Yondaime could do this kind of seal. But I'll send Inoichi-san as fast as he could, let's hope she didn't sealed her memory too." Tsunade stared the sleeping girls sadly, every jutsu have their own risk, including the highest level of sealing jutsu.

"Can we discuss it in my room with a cup of tea, Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san?" the Kannushi offered, but Kakashi shook his head, refused the offer.

"I'll stay here." He said.

Tsunade nodded and followed the Kannushi after gave the last glanced to her one of best jōnin. Kakashi sank down into the chair beside the girl's bed, did not do anything but watched her asleep, seemed exhausted from the observation she got.

"At least you're awake, Kyouna." he whispered.

* * *

Tsunade took a sip of her tea, as the newest Hokage she haven't visit the shrine after her inauguration few months ago. The shrine itself finished 3 years ago; she was in her own journey with Shizune out of the village. However, Sandaime left her bunch of assignments including the secret scrolls about the shrine, the girl's records and history background. The second top secret information after Naruto's parent, although it's still connected each other. She sighed, why every little thing about Naruto should be a top secret. What was the old man think?

"Hokage-sama" she looked up to the Kannushi. "Thank you for taking care of her after Sandaime." he smiled.

"It was in our agreement Tsurubuchi-sama," she nodded "besides, she's still the family of our Yondaime, she came here because she related with this village. It's our job to take care each other."

"It's glad to see the village still filled with love." Tsurubuchi nodded happily. "But Hokage-sama, you know the sequences about her right?" There's a pause before Tsunade finally nodded.

"Yes, everything."

"Do you prepare for the worst? She's awake after all. Even though I feel her power haven't awaken and you suspect she got amnesia, but it doesn't hide any possibilities for any harm." Tsunade took another sip; she knew where the topic would hold. "But she won't able to protect village for now, I hope it's only for awhile. She needs to regain her power again, and it'll take sometimes. And I'm sure you know the threats comes not only from demon." the Kannushi eyes turned solemn as he remembered what was befell to the girl long time ago.

"I'm completely understand about that Tsurubuchi-sama, that's why I assigned Kakashi here. Since he was the one who had the link with her, he is strong enough to handle any threat, not hard feeling for your shinshoku, Tsurubuchi-sama" she raised her hand, "I think I have a plan, we know that we couldn't hide the news about her awaken in the village. However, to reduce the external threat I'll prohibit any shinobi or civilians to spread the news outside the village. And we'll hide about her still unawakened power, or the village will lose their faith to her."

"That was a good plan, I think. I'll make sure the other knows about this." He nodded.

* * *

Yamanaka Inoichi released his hand from the girl's forehead and opened his eyes in the medical building, Tsunade, Kakashi and the Kannushi waited in patience while the man did his job to observe the memory of the girl. Inochi sighed; the girl fainted in her place right away after he released his jutsu and already taken back to her bed. She looked very weak. The man turned to face the other.

"Thank _Kami_. She didn't seal her memories, but she only had some strange memory about her and a baby and it wasn't a complete memory. It looked like scattered memories. I think she didn't have amnesia, only forgotten most of it. Maybe because she hit her head or got shock before fell in coma for too long, she'll regain it slowly. I didn't dare enough to dig it more because it'll cause more damage in her head if I force her to take her memories out. Let's make it comes naturally." He explained, Tsunade sighed in relieve.

"Ah, then we just need to regain her memories naturally. Kakashi I'll assign this task to you again, since you're the only one who have the relation with her." Tsunade pointed to the jōnin, Kakashi's brow narrowed, _me? again?_ "You know what I mean right? After all she's your-" Kakashi raised his hand to cut her off.

"_Hai, hai_. I understand."

"But Hokage-sama, how could a Miko like her can put such a complex seal in Naruto's memory as you suspected?" Inoichi asked. Tsunade nodded to Kakashi, gave the jōnin code to explain.

"She's also a descendant of the Uzumaki clan Inoichi-san, their sealing jutsu was incredible."

"Sealing jutsu and a miko huh? Such a good combination." Inoichi murmured. "But Hokage-sama, Uzumaki clan always have a red hair right? I always wondering why she didn't inherits the red hair?" Inoichi examined the girl, his hand on his chin, and made his Hokage laughed.

"Naruto also didn't have red hair. He inherited it from Yondaime, just like him. She also inherited her hair from her parent." she kind of enjoyed the stupid question from her subordinate.

"That's right Inoichi-san, she inherited her hair color from her father." The old Kannushi agreed. "Hideyoshi-bushi's hair was black, but it's understandable since no one in this village hadn't meet Hideyoshi and Keiko-gozen before. If only they weren't dead."

He said sadly, the aura between them seemed tense. They knew about the incident befell to the girl's family in the wood near the Fire country, before the sleeping girl arrived to Konoha unconsciously in Yondaime arms. His wife, Uzumaki Kushina cried when the squad brought home other corpses, one of them known as her cousin.

"Um, Hokage-sama, can I add Naruto in this mission?" Kakashi broke the silent and turned to faced Tsunade. "I think he can help her to regain her memories, also Naruto's if his memory weren't under seal. It's the right time for him to know the truth." His superior stared the girl, considered the pros and cons of this situation.

"Why don't I check him first? Make sure that Naruto's memory really under the seal or worse, erased. If it was erased, we can't do anything to help him." Inoichi gave his idea, knowing this Miko ability seemed possible if the little boy's memories were erased. "You said he didn't remember anything about her right, Kakashi? You should start to think a good plan to introduce them."

"You're right Inoichi, but don't make it suspicious. She'll confuse." the Hokage agreed. "And Kakashi, you can take Naruto to this mission. I think this shrine could be a good place for him to train some taijutsu, but don't forget about the report!"

Kakashi nodded and glanced back to the now sleeping girl on the bed, his mind was swirled with some plans of how he'll help the girl to regain her memories and how to introduce her to Naruto without make him shock. Well, this could make him shock of course. For all he knew, he didn't had any relatives then suddenly he's been told there's one and just back to life. Kakashi sighed, it's going to be hard.

* * *

"You're late sensei!" Naruto pointed angrily at Kakashi who just appeared in front of him with his signature greet, right hand raised and his 'yo!'. He rubbed his head and gave him a little laugh.

"Maa…sorry, I overslept too far from my apartment, so I need to- "

"Liar!" Naruto snapped before his sensei finished his excuse and made Kakashi's sweat dropped. _Heeh…I'm telling him the truth_. "Ne, sensei, what's our mission? Why it's only two of us?" Naruto beaming in spirit to him.

"Well, it's because Sakura need to train with Tsunade-sama and there's no genins available except you." Kakashi answered dully, started opened his orange book again.

"Hmph! This should be a very boring mission." Naruto complained, Kakashi shrugged and started to walk. "Eeh,wait sensei! You haven't tell me what's the mission." He ran to Kakashi's side, the man hmmed.

"Our mission? Our mission is to help in Shrine, let's go!"

"What?!" Naruto shouted from the top of his lungs in disbelief, this mission is as ridiculous as pulling weed mission he had long time ago. Ich, stupid mission and yesterday he got his first experience with Konoha Intelligence Division. Ino's father called him because he said he needed to asked him something, but it turned to be he fainted and woke up with a bad headache. Naruto hit the pebble angrily, still pouting along the road. Kakashi gave him a side glanced.

"You seemed upset today huh, Naruto?"

The blonde boy glanced up to his sensei and scowled. "I have a bad day since yesterday, sensei." Kakashi's brow raised. "Yesterday I was fainted in Intelligence division building and got a bad headache, today I have a stupid mission. Ich!" Kakashi chuckled, Inoichi told him yesterday that he did really found a seal in Naruto's memories. He could only gathered his memory of his childhood since he was 8. He bet another memories was under the seal and put by that Miko.

"Maa…I think this mission will restore your spirit." Kakashi glanced back to his book, as Naruto only could growl to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: No, i don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Welcome Kakashi-san!" Koge, one of the shinshoku of Konoha Shrine greet them when they reached the forecourt of the shrine, he already waited for them there more than two hours while he cleaned the purification font.

"Tsurubuchi-sama told me to help you while you're stay here." He bowed to the guests, he knew Kakashi for 3 years since he arrived in Konoha and started his study in this shrine. He always saw the man talked with his master or visited their Miko and sometimes they talked together. Tsurubuchi-sama told him once that this guy was the closest thing to the family for Tokugawa-sama, and that little boy, if he's not mistaken he was her cousin who left behind after she was being sealed 3 years ago. The boy turned his face around to examine the shrine.

"Heeh, sensei. Are we going to stay in this shrine?" Naruto faced his teacher as she scrunched up his face, the jōnin patted his head and nod.

"Ah, Naruto. It's part of the mission, and a good place for you to train. The shinshoku here are good in taijutsu. Right Koge-san?" the shinshoku who guided them nodded and smiled at the boy.

"You're welcome to train with us, Naruto-kun. I'll show you the room, come on." Koge walked to the southeast building where they have a big hall with some rooms for the guests or the squads from Fire country temple to stay when they come to inspect.

"_Arigatou_, Koge-san." Kakashi started to follow him with Naruto tailed behind him, still staring in amazement around the sites.

"Ne, sensei I never know Konoha have a shrine, this part of village is far enough with the main village."

Koge grinned to his guests. "The Shrine always needed to build in a high and peaceful place Naruto-kun. This shrine finished 3 years ago, and the only available land in Konoha to such a large shrine was here, behind the Hokage's faces mountain. You're free to explore, maybe you can find any treasure, they said treasure buried in every shrine. But for your information, mostly not only a treasure you'll find in a shrine, but also ghost or yokai, it's in history."

Kakashi grinned when he saw Naruto stopped walking and frowned behind him with a pale face. Koge turned and laughed.

"Don't worry, Tokugawa-sama is awake, there's no _yokai_ or ghost could come to this shrine. Her _kekkai_ is strong, this is your room Kakashi-san." He opened one of the biggest rooms in the hall for them. "If you need anything just tell me." Koge added again with amused look before he bowed and left.

"Tokugawa-sama?" Naruto glanced at Kakashi, "You asked me once about someone named Tokugawa right, sensei?" Seeing the adult nodded Naruto started scowling again. "You want to check my intelligence right? You know I never good in history." He made a big pout to his teacher, Kakashi rolled his eyes and started unpacked his bag.

"Maa…not really. Tokugawa is the one who needs our protection Naruto, she's the client for this mission. Well, the shinshoku had their training time in the afternoon, you can join with them if you want."

Kakashi opened the other doors which directly facing the other sides of villages scenery. Naruto nodded and followed him unpacked his own bag before decided to walked wandered around the shrine as his sensei started to read his book again.

* * *

Naruto was panting heavily, sparring with the shinshoku is surprisingly hard enough to handle. He looked at Kakashi who sat beside the old Kannushi and seemed enjoy the show he gave to him, beaten by the shinshoku. _Damn it_. He never knew there were another good taijutsu users in Konoha except Gai sensei and fuzzy eyebrow. But spared until this late surely made him starving, thank Kami dinner held not much longer after the training been held.

"Sensei, what should we do now? This mission is so boring. We're only spend a day doing nothing, training with the Kannushis in the afternoon, eating dinner and then sleep. Bah." Naruto threw his blanket over his futon, scowling to his sensei's laziness. Kakashi already lied on his futon lazily read his book.

"But this place is peaceful, it's nice place to stay in right?" Naruto growled, he was tired after the training but he couldn't sleep. He stood and opened the door. "Eh, where are you going Naruto?"

"Treasure hunting! Damn it, I'm bored sensei." He scowled and left the room, stomping on his way in the hallway.

"Jeez, treasure hunting in the middle of the night Naruto, really?" Kakashi murmured.

Naruto walked to the back of southern shrine, he already explored the north and east side of the shrine. Now he wandered along south to west, in west side there's a ground with a pond and waterfall. Bushes, trees and flowers everywhere, sent great scents over the ground. He walked to a post in the middle of the ground, examined it carefully, seemed like this was a private training ground and there's absolutely nothing interesting here, he turned decided to back to his room but saw something in front of the pond.

A very long dark haired girl with white robe already stood in front of the pond, she stared blankly to the waterfall. Night breeze blew her hair into a mess, made her silhouette looked more creepy under the shadow of full moon tonight. That girl was pretty, but scary with her bright but blank blue eyes and frozen expression. Naruto's grasped, he sure there's no one here except himself when he came, suddenly he remembered what Koge-san said about treasure and ghost in the shrine.

He took a step backward to retreat but he stepped on a twig and made a cracked sound, the girl realized his appearance. She turned her face to him, showed her blue eyes and paled face more clearly under the moonlight at the frightened boy. Naruto trembled and shouted from the top of his lungs.

"It's a…it's a…Gh...Ghost!"

* * *

Koge was in his patrol schedule, he's already checked almost every side of the shrine with other shinshoku. The last building he needed to check was the medical building, where their precious Miko slept in. He didn't dare to get in, after checked the door he left to peeped on the window. He's completely shock when he found that the window left opened and the room was empty.

He decided to check up around the medical building but he still couldn't find her, desperately he ran into the main building to wake the others up and reported to the head Kannushi. After hearing a ruckus around the shrine, Kakashi went out from his room. "What happened?" he asked Koge who ran to him from the hallway, the man turned in horror at the jōnin.

"Tokugawa-sama is gone. The window opened and she's not in her room. I couldn't find her anywhere."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "I'll find her." He didn't bother to change his cloth, after slipped on his sandals he ran and jumped taking to the treetops to medical building roof. He started to looked around the building again when he heard Naruto's voice, screamed from the west side ground.

* * *

"Aaagh…go away _Yūrei_!" Naruto shrieked and waved away his hand wildly to the girl who grasped in surprised of his high voltage voices. She stumbled back and fell on to the ground holding her head, sitting with wide eyes and her ears ringing because that boy's voice, her head started felt hurt._ Yūrei, yūrei, yūrei._

"Naruto!" Kakashi landed beside the frightened boy and examined his student.

"Sen, sensei. Th-tha-that gho..ghost. That's a ghost." Naruto pointed at the fallen girl with his shaking hand, Kakashi turned and saw the girl. _That's her_. He ran and kneeling beside the girl.

"Oiy. Are you alright Kyouna?" He examined her, the girl shaking still holding her head down, a moment later the shinshoku arrived to the ground with the Kannushi after hearing Naruto's voice. Koge and Tsurubuchi ran to approach her, Naruto blinked rapidly when he saw Koge and other shinshoku bowed politely to the ghost.

"What are you doing, that's the ghost." Naruto still shivered "You should exterminate her, not bowing to her". Koge turned and laughed, he offered his hand to help the boy stood.

"She's not a ghost Naruto-kun, she's Tokugawa Kyouna-sama, the High priestess." He explained, Naruto blinked, _huh?_ "Thank you for finding her, Naruto-kun. We're afraid she's been kidnapped."

"So, she's not a ghost?" Naruto asked the Kannushi in disbelief, Koge shook his head and smiled. "No she's not. Don't worry."

"Better take her to her room again, she looks not good." Kakashi said, already carried the girl in his arms and the shinshoku gasped at the view. Koge gave a nod and hurried dismissed them, the other shinshoku left after sending a curious look to Kakashi, they only several people dare to touched their Miko. Even Koge himself never dared enough to get in to her treatment room although he was Tsurubuchi-sama's right hand. But that shinobi carried her, their precious Miko.

* * *

"Sensei, is she the girl that we should protect from our mission?" Naruto asked Kakashi who took his seat beside the girl's bed after got the permission from the head Kannushi that he'll be in that room to protect her. "You seemed like knew her, sensei." He added. Kakashi sighed heavily and nodded.

"Kyouna was one of my acquaintances."

Naruto tapped his hand, realized something in his sensei's words. "Aah…that wasn't a surprise if she was your friend, sensei. Her technique was very good. I wasn't see her of felt her presence and suddenly she's there."

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Kakashi glanced at him dully.

"Yeah she's a good ninja like you, you are very good in hiding your presence and suddenly appear like ghost. I think I'll die because of heart attack." Naruto rubbed his chest and sighing in relief, Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Well, she always good in hiding since she was a kid. She's even got a nickname because her technique._ Konoha no Yūrei. "_

Naruto glanced back at the sleeping girl, "Wow, she does really look like a ghost." He pointed at the sleeping girl, "She's pale, with very long dark hair, bright blanked blue eyes, and wears white robe."

"But she's beautiful right?" Kakashi leaned his back to the chair, watched the girl intently. Naruto blinked his eyes, _beautiful?_ He stared the sleeping girl once again and turned to his sensei, Kakashi-sensei looked different. He didn't know what was that, but it's just…that. He shrugged.

"Um…yeah. But she's scary sensei!"

* * *

_"Kyouna-chan!" the long red haired woman stood in front of their door and waved her hand happily when she turned up with the groceries in her hand. "Guess what, I'll be a mother, Kyo-chan!" she grinned, her face glowing. Kyouna blinked at the woman._

_"You're home, Kyouna? Thank you for having the groceries." the spiky blonde man appeared behind the woman and welcomed her, she nodded at them. "Did you know, there will be a baby in this house?" he asked, the red woman pouted at him._

_"I've already told her, Minato." the man grinning and glance back at her. _

_"It's good isn't it, Kyouna. You'll have a little brother."_

_Kyouna looked up at the glowing pair, little brother, does it means she wont be alone again? She'll have a friend to play, a sibling to took care, a baby brother. She lit up her eyes a the pair, Kyouna nodded and smiled happily. A brother!_

* * *

"I didn't find any suspicious in her body, maybe she fainted because she haven't strong enough to wanderer alone and shocked with Naruto's presence." The men behind her sighed in relief, Tsunade glanced at them and chuckled. "Your quick respons was good Kakashi, hurried report and dragged me here in the morning." Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly he was too worried when he found out that the girl didn't wake up in the morning no matter how long they waited. "Speaking of Naruto, where's that stupid brat?"

"Naruto-kun have his special training with Koge. That boy surely too energetic." Tsunade glanced at the head Kannushi beside her.

"He was beaten in yesterday training, he spent whole morning to convince Koge-san to train him." Kakashi took his initiative to explain, Godaime smirked to the young man.

"So you could spend your time watching her around, eh Kakashi?" she loved teasing her one of most trustworthy subordinate, seeing flush on his face as he tried to looked away from her gaze was funny. Tsurubuchi cleared his throat to make the two shinobi back to serious, although he was enjoyed the scene too.

"Now what should we do to her Hokage-sama? Should we start to train her?"

Tsunade crossed her arm and started thinking, if the girl was strong enough to jumped from the window and wandered alone last night seemed the problem wasn't in her physical condition, though still she need to built her strength again. Kakashi said she was collapsed when she met the hysteric Naruto, maybe surprised with his stupid high voltage voice. That loud blockhead.

"Hmm, I was thinking about it. After hearing the report about last night incident, seems like she's ready to get the physical training again. But remember, don't be too harsh to her or she'll -" Tsunade's words were cut off when they heard a small moan from the bed. She rushed to the girl's side to examine her.

"Does it hurt Kyouna?" Tsunade touched her hand, gently stroke her to get her attention, the girl blinked slowly before she fully awake and glanced at her examiner. She slowly managed to get up and sit on her bed by herself after gesturing a refused for any help, she stared at people in her room and opened her mouth.

"Who are you?" she asked them weakly.

"Kyouna," the old Kannushi started speak slowly, "she's our Hokage, the fifth, Tsunade-sama." The blonde woman nodded and smiled warmly to her, "And this man is Hatake Kakashi, he's a Shinobi." He introduced the guests, Kyouna blinked. Shinobi? Hokage? Kakashi walked closer, he handed a blue daisy from his hand to hers and gave her his curving smiled eye. She stared at the flower for a moment and gently moved her finger to touch its petals.

"Hina...giku" she whispered as her attention sucked into her flower.

"Kyouna. Do you remember who you are?" Tsunade decided to broke her little world and asked the girl, she jolted as realized the presences in the room, snapped her back to reality. That woman asked her something, she glanced at her again. Tsunade sighed and repeated the question more slowly "Who are you? Do you remember about yourself?" She blinked again. Who am I? Of course I know, I'm...wait a minute, she glanced at her.

"I…I'm not a kid anymore." Slowly she raised her hands and stared blankly at them. "My hands…big." Tsunade shared a worried glance to the Kannushi. Tsurubuchi nodded to her code, he touched the girl's hand to take her attention to him, Kyouna blinked and lower her hands.

"Kyouna, do you know me?" He asked anxiously. The girl turned to him and titling her head, examined the old figure in front of her.

"Ojii-chan?" The Kannushi gasped, his eyes widened and nodded happily.

"My dear, yes, it's me. Your jii-chan. You remember me." He restrained himself not to hugged the girl and cried as only to expressed his happiness, he didn't want gave her another shock.

"Minato-jichan, Kushina-bachan. Where are they?" Kyouna asked them back, she shift her gaze to the other man in this room before looking around, tried to find another familiar presence in this room but she failed. Kakashi sighed heavily, he shook his head and looked away from the girl. Turned himself to faced the window and stared outside as Tsunade sighed and slowly touched the girl's head to stroked her hair gently.

"They're gone, remember?"

She frowned a little and ducked her head, right, they're gone. I'm all alone again. Kakashi observed the girl from his side, leaned himself to wall. "Maa,you remember Kannushi-sama, Yondaime and Kushina-san. Do you remember me?" he asked the girl. Kyouna rose her head and examined the man, he's slender and tall, the most striking thing of him was his hair. It was..er..white? And very spiky, _is that hair defying the gravity?_ That man wearing a mask and his hitae-ate crossed over his left eye, she realized that one eyed man was the same man who gave her flower yesterday. _But who is he anyway?_ Slowly she shook her head.

_"Gomenasai."_

* * *

**A/N**

**Kannushi**: a holy man who could work miracles and who, thanks to purificatory rites, could work as an intermediary between _kami_ and man.

**Shinsoku**: a man who works at a shrine and responsible for the shrine's maintenance, he also holds religious ceremonies there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kakashi and Kyouna bowed to the head Kannushi before leaving the shrine's gate to meet the Hokage, she's been too busy to have her visit to their shrine. Tsurubuchi thought it's a good opportunity to send Kyouna to village, she's been stayed in her room too long since her awaken, that doesn't count when she's under seal. Besides, Kakashi agreed to accompany her, that's his responsibility after all. Along the road, Kyouna walked beside Kakashi, her gaze fixed ahead, didn't put any interest with her surrounding, the village was busy and the people they passed along almost always stop working and turned to them. The elders frowned before then bent down bowing to them, more precisely to Kyouna who wearing her daily attire, striking in white and red kimono among others.

The elders knew about the girl's arrival to their village 15 years ago, the rumor said that girl was Yondaime's niece who brought to Konoha because her village was gone. The council wanted to build a shrine and brought her master so she could train and be stronger. Just like what was happened to Kushina, no one like the outsiders. But luckily she had Yondaime's protection though he got his hard time against his villagers protests and the councils until the girl sacrificed herself and made a vow to be the shield for their village, born from a famous Miko who possessed a great power she was pushed to be the tool for her current village from a young age.

After the attack of Shogakukan the girl proved her will and save the village then she gained the respect from villagers, though she didn't bother to cared and ignored most of it. She only be nice to elders and children because she got much hurt from adults and kids around her age at that time, especially when she took the Kyuubi brat on her custody she was bullied too. Rumor said after the attack of Seikendekken 3 years ago the girl was hospitalized in comatose but no one paid any attention to her condition, they said she deserved the cursed because chose the Kyuubi than them. Now she's back, it's an understandable condition if the girl now ignored them.

Kakashi glanced sideways to the girl, guessing what's on her mind. He knew about the girl's past with the villagers, wondering did she still had that memories. Kyouna haven't talk much since her awakening and just answered occasionally if she's been asked, mostly she shook, nodded or tilted her head in confuse. It didn't help for her regaining plan, made him wondered about their relation and a little regretting Hokage's decision assigned him to her because of their good relationship in the past. What kind of relationship they had, she didn't even remember anything about him, not even his name.

* * *

"Do you make any progress?" Tsunade asked the pair when they showed up in her office, she's been asked the shrine to brought her to Hokage tower because she was too busy to had her visit. Though she needed to monitor the girl, her hands were tied to her jobs. As a medical ninja she wanted to explor the girl, the one hand she was curious with her state after waking from coma for years liked just waking from asleep, but other hand she have to protect her as one of the Konohan.

Kyouna didn't answered her question and looking around, she remembered the office, "Where's Sandaime jii-chan?" She asked, instead a familiar old man face that Blonde woman sit on his chair, she stared the woman, the fifth, said her master. Where's the old man go.

"Sarutobi-sensei's dead" she put her hand together and answered solemnly. The girl frowned before closed her eyes to sent a silent pray, she wanted to meet the old man badly but she didn't remember why. "I see…how long I've been asleep?"

"You were under the seal for about 3 years and seems lost your memory, but you remember Tsurubuchi, Minato, Kushina and Sandaime. That's why I called you here, i want to know what else do you remember?"

Kyouna stared the ceiling and closed her eyes, last night she tried to figured what was happened to her because she didn't remember anything. Sometimes she got a vision of something in her pasts, seemed that was her scattered memories. Maybe she could recall it again.

"I…I remember the village hated me, Ojichan, Obachan and Sandaime-jiichan didn't. They said Ojii-chan will come to train with me, Minato ji-chan trained me a ninja stuff though I hate it. I hate shinobi, they killed my parent, they caused the war and brought me here to use me fight the demon." She said in anger tone, that was her childhood memories through the village.

"I don't have a friend. They didn't allowed me to summoned my demon friends and left me, then Minato-jichan be a hokage, he barely left me with…uh, someone." Kakashi blinked, is she.. "But I don't know who he was, I don't remember. He's a Shinobi, I guess." She added.

Tsunade shared a slight smile to her subordinate, Kakashi cleared his throat to distract the teasing attention from his Hokage. "Do you remember something about him, Kyouna?" The girl rubbed her temple, her head started to throb with pain.

"Hmm the boy was cold, arrogant, and… lost. Somehow I felt something with him." She titling her head then shrugged, "But I don't know what was it." Kakashi mentally stumbled with her answer, but didn't say anything.

"About Minato's death, do you remember?" Kyouna face turned dark, that was one of the most frightening events in her life. She remembered that man's smile when he brought her home after saved her.

"I just back from my mission, the village was in chaos so I ran to find him but the apartment was empty. I almost reached the Hokage tower when a man with red eye captured me and tied me with other child. When the chaos ended they brought me to Sandaime-jiichan and..." she gulped, her eyes felt warm "I saw them. Minato-jichan and Kushina-bachan."

"And?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed, Kyouna wiped her tears before answered "I cried and screamed to Sandaime-jiichan, and then it's dark."

"Do you remember something about your state or anything, before you fell asleep under the seal?"

That was a bright light she was floating above the village, she could see the whole village. The night was clear, it's a full moon night and evening breeze blew cold in the air. She could heard the sound of people running scared beneath her, she had to protect them, but she had no more strength. Her body started to numb, her eyes felt heavy and she felt something hard pulling her down. She was falling.

"I was falling from the sky. It's so bright and cold." There could be more, but what was it. She tried harder to remember, but her head didn't cooperate. That pain. She held her head, throbbing with pain. She bent to withstand the pain but it caused more pain to her head, Kakashi caught her before the girl fainted again.

* * *

"I guess she'll always got that pain every time she gained her memory, Tsunade-sama." Shizune finished her check to the sleeping girl in hospital. "Seems that hurt her enough to make her taken down like that."

"Her body doesn't have any strength against it, we should start the training Kakashi." Said the Hokage to Kakashi, "But I think it'll be more wise to withdraw Naruto from her. Seeing her fainted after regain some memory worry me, we don't know what will happen to her if she gain that memory with her current state. We'll introduce him to her later if she's ready for it."

_"Hai." _Kakashi nodded, Tsunade-sama was right, every time the girl gained her scattered memories she always got the headache and fainted. Naruto had a big role in her life, that will caused her bigger pain. Inwardly he started to make the basic training list for her and excuse for his student until he realized something missing. Gently he swiped her bangs, he remembered that was there before, tattoo on her forehead was gone. He didn't notice it before because he always watched her from afar and more worried about her state than a small tattoo, but he sure that was a kind of star like tattoo on her forehead and now it's gone only a red dot left.

* * *

_Young Kyouna was walked home from library with a slight smile that afternoon, she spent a whole day in that place to learn. Minato-jichan helped her to got her member card so she could borrow some books, and she did borrowed some. She walked happily when she felt a pebble hit her back. _

_"Oiy, outsider. Go back to your place, weirdo!" She stopped and turned, three girls with Konoha hitae-ate and light green vest stood behind her, they're chūnin. She scrunched her face, she didn't remember knowing any kids around her age or any chūnin. Since her arrival to this village a year ago she haven't got any friend, she refused to went to academy because she wasn't a ninja and never want to be one._

_"Did you hear me busu? Back to your place!" a brown haired girl snapped hands on her hips, Kyouna raised an eyebrow. Ugly ? What's with her, she didn't even know her and she called her ugly. She shrugged and walked away, ignoring the stupid trio, she didn't want to do any ridiculous fight._

_"Hey, where the hell are you going?" now the green haired girl turn to shouted. Kyouna sweat dropped, she turned and gave them a dull look._

_"She told me to go back to my place right? I'll go then." She pointed the browned head._

_"But we haven't finish talk, idiot!"the purple haired girl pointed her fist to her, another sweat dropped, Kyouna rubbed the back of her head totally confused with the girls._

_"Yare, yare, you're chūnin aren't you? But you're nothing than an idiot trio for me. Did you use your brain? I wonder how could the three of you passed the exams, you're not event think your words."_

_"How dare you -"that girl start to talk again but suddenly cut off, her face blushed and her friends made a flirty look to her. Kyouna puzzled, she turned and found a boy stood behind her. He stared at them in silent, another weirdo, she taught when she saw that spiky hair. Seeing the girls still bewitched with the boy appearance, she shrugged and decided to go home, not even bothered to glanced at her back._

_Kushina put the nabemono on the table, they'll have oden for dinner tonight. "How's your day, Kyouna?" Kushina asked the girl when they set the table. The girl shrugged lazily. "Weird."_

_The woman giggled, Kyouna always got a bad day every time she went out to village. The villagers didn't like her because she was an outsider and looked weird with tattoo on her forehead and always wear her Miko attire everywhere. Her niece had been live with them for a year. She's been more lively and friendly than before, she wanted her to have a normal childhood so she planned to sent her to academy but the girl refused. She still hated ninja, beside, she said she was too old to go to the academy with the babies although she just got her ninth birthday last month. "I'll learn about this stuff by myself, but I still didn't want to be a ninja." she exclaimed that last year, her husband was agreed to train her since his last student was passed the chūnin exam he got his hand a little freely._

_"What's happen? You don't usually have a weird day, ne." She grinned to her, Kyouna sit and slumped forward resting her hand on the table._

_"Three stupid female chūnins ran to me, they called me ugly and told me to go. When I left them, they started yelling about they haven't finish their talks. Suddenly another chūnin appeared, a boy, and the trios turned to be red and coquettish. So I left them."_

_"Wow, he must be so hot right?" Kushina put her head on her hand over the table, Kyouna sticking out her tongue through her aunt's behavior._

_"I just can see his eyes Bachan." she pointed her right eye. "And his hair was weird too, by the way where's Minato-jichan?"_

_"He had his celebration with his team, maybe he'll home soon. If he not, we can eat this oden alone, right?" Kushina winked, the little girl grinned, she loved her aunt cook. She and Minato always fighting over her food, though she knew that's because her uncle wanted to make a communication with her. Nah, fighting with him was fun, she mentally shrugged._

_"Tadaima!" the door was opened and Minato stepped inside as she bit her kinchaku,her eyes narrowed, crap he's home. "Okaerinasai, oh my, hello Kakashi-kun!" Kushina walked to the door and exclaimed happily. "It's perfect time, we just start our dinner. Tonight is oden yo, oden!" and next she heard his footsteps ran into Kitchen._

_"Don't touch my kinchaku!" Minato cried to the girl, Kyouna sent him a dull look and deliberately shoved it to her mouth. "You're late, jichan!" She said in mouthful. Instead of angry, Minato laughed and pat her head, he loves teasing his wife's niece._

_"Kakashi-kun come on, you have to meet Kyouna." Kushina dragged the boy in, Kyouna munched her food and blinked at him. That masked face and those weird hair, was he the boy who help her this afternoon? Nope, he didn't help her, he was just stood and watched them in silent. He didn't have any intention to help._

_"Kyouna-chan, this is Kakashi. My genius student. Kakashi, that's our cute little niece." Minato pointed the empty chair beside Kyouna, the boy nodded and sit while Kushina took her place beside the older man. _

_"Let's eat Kakashi, you'll got nothing if you didn't start eating. Kyouna eat a lot. Nah, itadakimasu..." the blonde man put his both hands in front of his chest and started eating, ignoring a deadly glare from her._

* * *

Kyouna opened her eyes and stared the ceiling, where am I? "Oh, you're awake." Kakashi stuck out his face and looked at the girl right in the face. She blinked slowly before jerked away from him and fell from her bed. She groaned in pain. "Ow, I'm sorry." He stretched out his hand to help but the girl brushed it off, she stood and rubbed her head.

"I think I remember you." she said slowly, Kakashi's eye widened. The girl rubbed her head again and turned to faced him. "You're that weird boy right? Ji-chan brought you home once and we had dinner together."

"Me? 'that weird boy'?" He pointed himself in confuse, Kyouna nodded quickly she just got that vision and she sure that was one of her past.

"Yes, you were there when those idiot chūnins showed up and teased me, you're Ji-chan's student right? The one he called with his genius student. Your weird hair, and that masked face. I know that boy was you." She unconsciously chattered, his eye crinkled, he smiled behind his mask. Seeing the girl suddenly become choosey after took her nap. Kyouna snapped and shut her mouth with her hands, what's wrong with her, why suddenly she got that voice. Shyly she faced the jonin who seemed still smiling and muttered her sorry. Kakashi gave a little laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"So am I really that weird huh, Kyouna-chan?"

* * *

**A/N.**

**Busu**: Japanese slang to say ugly, not used for males.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Because you already remember me, why don't we talk about it, hmm?" Kyouna glanced at the jōnin beside her in confuse. That man waited her answer patiently, was he waited here since she passed out, because she remembered that masked face man was around her for since she opened her eyes about four days ago. Just who was this man anyway?

"Hmm? About what? I just got a dream about the boy who came home once with jichan for dinner and I don't know why but I know that boy was you. That's it." Kakashi chuckled, the girl seemed found her voice though she still look like trapped in the maze of her mind. Probably still confuse with her scattered memories. "Um…sorry, but what was your name again?" She asked the man and blinked innocently, his eyes twitched.

"Hatake Kakashi." He answered as he stood up from the chair and nodded. "If you feel much better, should we go back to the shrine?" Another blinked from her blue eyes, shrine, as she remembered about the shrine build plan in Konoha when she was alive, that sites not event started to build because there was hard discuss between the council and villagers. Though the daimyo and Fire Temple already gave them permission to build the shrine, there are no restrictions because both faiths taught the goodness. As long as both of them are in the light way, no one will restrict. But the cons group didn't want any shrine in their village since they're afraid with the power of the Miko. Mostly Miko had known as the powerful shrine maiden who can exorcist and summoned non-human things. And it's scared them.

"Hmm…when was the shrine finished? Was it after I've been under the seal um, for...three years?" She stared at the Hokage Mountain; Kakashi glanced sideways and saw that eyes looked dead. He knew that kind eyes, he saw it 12 years ago.

"Ah. Not too long after you fallen asleep."

Kyouna hmmed, three years huh, such a long time but she felt just like yesterday. Right, she was falling from the sky and her eyes started to get heavier before everything went dark. Was she's been asleep or dead? The blonde woman said she was comatose. Well, coma was just a step to be dead, she's just lucky enough to wake. Lucky? She winced, does she feel lucky? All her dearest people were dead, even Sandaime jii-chan too. Was she supposed to be the sole survivor?

Unconsciously Kyouna clenched her right fist, the sole survivor and lost all her power. What a useless survivor she was. She realized it when got dressed this morning, that mark on her forehead was gone, meant her power also gone, and her physical power too she guessed. She got exhausted easily, that woman said it's the cause of fallen asleep for too long.

Seeing that girl didn't say anything Kakashi considered took her a small walk around village, maybe she will remember something. It would be bad if she fainted again, but he could bring her to hospital. Besides he wanted to know her physical status, wasn't it too soon to started the training? Well, he just wanted to test her.

"Ano ne, if you have a time maybe we can take a walk." He broke the silent between them; Kyouna peered at man and nodded."Maybe you remember that place, the training ground."

* * *

Kakashi sighed heavily when they arrived in the third training ground, this place was the first place he had to test his genin team, team 7, and they were four-man cells. Right, they were. He couldn't believe that the last Uchiha held the hatred so deep and didn't listen his words. _Sasuke_. Kyouna peered at the jōnin secretly, he looked drawn in his world. She decided to ask the man.

"Is it your memorable place, Hatake-san?" Kakashi closed his eye and snorted with the name she gave him. Hatake-san? Really?

"My friend's names carved on that stone, this is the place where I test my genin team before one of them left." Kakashi turned when he heard she hmmed, his eyes crinkled as he touched one of the posts. "And this is the place where you spent your time to train with Minato sensei. Remember?" Kyouna glanced around the ground, it still look same like before.

* * *

_Minato brought the young Kyouna to the third training ground where he used to train her every weekend, because of his team and the missions he got he only had two days a week to train his niece and gave her many materials to learnt by herself or under Kushina's guidance. However, she was good, she's a fast learner, and this time he wanted to test her. He taught she's ready to enroll the academy. He just finished his physical test with the girl and did some sparring, Kyouna panting heavily in her stance with tantō in her hands. Minato grinned proudly with her drastic progress._

_"Beside your kenjutsu, I think your genjutsu were quite good, you can easily break the jutsu. But you're weak in ninjutsu and taijutsu. Have you read the scrolls and materials about it?" the little girl nodded, her serious face made her looked a little scarier than the girl at her age. _

_"Hai. But I just can't do it ji-chan. No matter how much I put the chakra in, I think the problem wasn't at my chakra control, I did my climbing three and walk on the water exercises perfectly, you said that was the basic training for chakra control." Minato relaxed and put his kunai in his pouch, waived his hand to her, made a code to get closer. Kyouna obeyed, she sheathed her tantō and walked closer._

_"Then what will you do to pass the practical exam?" Kyouna pouted and shrugged, to be honest she never wanted to do any practical test. Correction, both ninja's written or practical exams. "Let me see it, try to make a bunshin, I taught you before right?" The girl's face scrunched, she tried to mold her chakra and made the seal, muttering 'bunshin no jutsu' but nothing happened. Minato waited patiently amused himself with the girl's effort to make another bunshin for the sixth times. Grumbling, Kyouna made the last try, she made a different hand seal combined with a paper slipped in her fingers. Another Kyouna poof in, stood beside the original perfectly. _

_"Good idea, using your shikigami." Minato chuckled as his niece's face turned red. She stuck her tongue out. _

_"I can't do any ninjutsu ji-chan. It's ninja-jutsu, and I'm not a ninja. Just give me another test, kenjutsu, kyūjutsu, fūinjutsu, or kuchiyose. I'll do that." She whined "But…just don't give me any ninjutsu test. Especially that stupid bunshin." She turned her face from him and muttered, not low enough so Minato still could hear it._

_"Well, but using shikigami is cheating."_

_"No it's not, it's the very basic jutsu in-" she snapped and stop her words. Right, it counted as cheating if you did it in ninja test. "You said there's shinobi who used bugs or animals, why can't I use my ofuda?" _

_"I know, but it's one of the requirements to graduate from Academy and become a genin, besides it's useful to make a distraction."_

_"My shikigami can do more that a distraction." She grumbled. "And I don't want to go to academy or become a ninja." Seeing his niece turned cranky Minato laughed and raised his hands, decided to end the training._

_"Okay then, I'll discuss your condition to the teacher and Hokage. But, you will still have your training until everything decided. Understand?" He ordered, patting the black head consolingly. Kyouna groaned, the least thing she wanted to learn was the ninjutsu. How long she had to wait for her master to come to Konoha? She couldn't hold it any longer, this ninja stuffs made her crazy. "Kyouna, did you lose one of your marks?" Minato wiped her bangs and examined her forehead, Kyouna jerked and ran to the river to see her reflection._

_"Aaah…this is your fault ji-chan!" she screamed. "This stuff makes me crazy, and now I have to do more meditations and training again besides those stupid ninja training thing." Minato blinked rapidly before realized what was happen. He burst in laugh, Kushina told him as she's been told by her cousin long time ago. Miko's abilities couldn't measured only by their physical or spiritual power. Some of them had a special power and marked on their forehead like a tattoo or seal, but in her family, they had a rare blood limit mark, just like a kekkei genkai and as the last heir, Kyouna also possessed one. _

_Miko with a mark on their forehead must have more spiritual power control if she didn't want to lose her power. Even though this wasn't the main factors, but still it plays an important role. Like the emotions, Miko can gained more power or lose it according to how they control it, Kyouna just lost her calmness above the new stuffs she's been learnt to because her frustration and got lost her mark. Not all but it was enough to made her freak, and yes, he's the cause of it. He amused with how complex was the 'kekkei genkai' of his niece, and got scolded by a little girl along their way to home. _

* * *

She giggled as she remembered that stupid training with her uncle, she was nine and pushed to enrolled the academy. Of course, she's opposed it, and made a promise that she'll be great without needed to enroll that ninja school. It didn't end up well, she got many problem with the stuffs, especially ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu. Kakashi frowned, that was her first laugh since her awaken, she must be remembered something good here.

"Hatake-san," she said after stop giggling. "I remember my training with Minato-jichan here when I was eight, because of him I need to do extra training and had to please with scolded him along the way back." Kakashi smiled, remembered his calm sensei could be a little hyperactive and different around this girl. Moreover, he knew Minato loved the girl as his own niece though she was an outsiders like his wife.

"It's Kakashi." He said, still giving her his signature smile. Kyouna cocked her head at him, but nodded and smiled when she gotten his words.

"_Arigatou_, Kakashi-san, for everything. But you know, you don't have to do this anymore." It's his turn to scrunch after her word, "I think I can handle it now, I know maybe I'll get that headache again and wake up in hospital another day or got lost somewhere. But it's okay, I can't dragged someone else into my mess."

"Well…actually, I'm not 'someone else' to you." He bent down to her level and faced the girl in a face, Kyouna was smaller and shorter than him, and she almost had to craning her neck to look at his face every time they talk.

Seeing the girl didn't understand his words, Kakashi gave her his smiled eye, pulling out a flower from his pocket and shook it in front of her face. "I won't force you to remember, but something in our past won't let me to leave or ignore you. So, I'll stick with you, well it's also become my mission from Hokage. Hmm… It's almost lunch time, let's get something to eat! I have a schedule to discuss."

He put the flower on her head and turned, waited for the girl for a while and then the pair started walking out the ground gate.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto growled at the green vested man, "You said our mission is to protect someone, but all I did was train with the shinshoku, what kind of mission is this?"

Kakashi's sweat dropped as he raised his hands to make the boy calmed a bit. He just back with Kyouna and completely forgot about his student, he didn't expected that the boy might angry about the mission. He thought leaving the boy to train with the shinshoku was a good plan while he did another stuff, besides Naruto was a training freak as he kept bugging him along asked him to teach more jutsu.

"_Suman _Naruto, I didn't mean to ignore you." He flicked his student's hitae-ate. "But I have to go, this an order from Hokage." Naruto scowled with the excuse. His sensei left him while he's still asleep for whole day, and just back at the afternoon without any proper order about the mission. This mission is suspicious. Realized that excuse didn't convincing, Kakashi set his serious face. "Actually, Hokage called me to give her the report about this mission." Naruto cocked his head.

"Huh?"

"Well, to be honest. This mission has been started since four days ago, before I asked you to join in. The mission is to protect Konoha no Miko and gave the report about her improvement state. Since her condition getting better and better-"

"So the mission is done, right sensei?" Naruto cut off his words, Kakashi blinked and sent a silent thank that Naruto was a simple minded for the very first time, I guess that will be fine if he thought the mission was done.

"Maa… maybe for you it's over, but I still had something to work here with Tsurubuchi-sama, so you can drop the mission and back to your home tomorrow."

"Eee? _Yappar_i, this mission is suspicious and boring! Two days doing nothing here and suddenly the mission is done." He exclaimed, Kakashi sweat dropped. Does he need to be that loud? "Nah, sensei. You're not having any hidden plan with our client, right?" Naruto narrowed brows stared at Kakashi intently, made him frowned in confuse.

"Huh? What are you talking about Naruto?"

"Etoo…" Naruto twiddling his fingers. "That ghostly nee-chan. You're not going to plan something weird with her right?" Kakashi jerked, he's completely surprised with his student's statement.

"W-w-why are you thinking like that?" He stuttered asked the blonde boy.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned."Because you said she was pretty and you're a pervert sensei! Hehe." Kakashi's single eye suddenly widened in horror before turned to scowl.

_"Nani?!" _

* * *

_"I'm not someone else for you." _Kakashi snorted as he remembered what he said to the Miko this afternoon in the training ground. He dug his bag and pulled out a small gray velvet box and held it solemnly. Part of him was happy to see that girl gained her memories, but other hand he was completely confused with the developed state. Her present life was stopped as she closed her eyes three years ago, now that girl lived in her incomplete past, he was not sure about the future they've been planned to long time ago.

He glanced at his student, Naruto was fast asleep since an hour ago, he's done with the training plan and saved from the excuse to dismiss the boy from this 'mission' for awhile. He watched the sleeping boy and smiled as he stroked Naruto's hair, I want you to meet her properly as soon as possible, Naruto.

In other room, Kyouna examined the flower she got from the silver haired shinobi this afternoon. She remembered that man's words, not someone else, does he meant he was also played an important role in her past? She hadn't remembered it yet, but instead hate or disgusting sight from him that was care and worried she saw in his single eye. That was weird for a stranger like him, but somewhat gave her a warm and save feeling, Kyouna wondered what was this familiar feeling.

* * *

**A/N.**

I got stuck with the logic of this story and rewrite the plot, hopes it'll be better.

Thank you for **Yungsun** to favorited this story, for **Wulan-chan**: Maa...that's a good guess hehe :D and for **Prescripto13** i try to cut the slow plot and start to put more of Kyouna's memory about Kakashi start of the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

This morning Kyouna stood in the western ground in silent, as Kakashi said two days ago, he'll start the physical training for her immediately to prepare her body from any physical threat she'll got from her memories. She gladly accepted the training since she bored to wake in hospital or medical building after fainted from her headache. And as she tried yesterday, her accuracy and strength was really decreased. She couldn't hit her arrow right into bullseye, couldn't cut the log properly with her swords and barely almost hit herself with her kusarigama. She's suck.

Kakashi examined the girl and realized her dead eyes turned desperate, last night Tsurubuchi told him that when he was gone, Kyouna tried to train by herself and messed it up. Maybe she remember something, he cleared his throat and snapped the dreamy girl back to her world.

_"Ohayo, _you're early today." He greeted the girl cheerfully. "Well, before we start it, do you have to wear those?" He pointed the girl's cloth; Kyouna cocked her head and blinked. Kakashi crossed his arms, amused with her clueless look and decided to wait.

The girl bent her head, examined her own cloth. She wears her usual red hakama and white hakui, her daily uniform, nothing weird with her. She used to wear these since she was a kid, it's a Miko attire and she have to wear it. "You'll get tripped if you run with that." Kakashi jerked his chin towards her clothes, made the girl's brow narrowed.

_"Hai." _She replied shortly before sighed heavily. "I have to wear these." She added after seeing the man's single brow rose, demanded for more answer. Kakashi chuckled, that answer was predictable. And he knew that girl never wore another clothes than her Miko uniform and its variety or her battle uniform. However, he won't let her wore that for this time, it will only remind her to her past power which was she had none this time.

"I think we have to postpone this training." Kyouna's eyes widened, what was the man said? Before she could speak, Kakashi raised his hand and added. "Don't get me wrong, I do really respect your position as a Miko but you can't train with that, so I'll postpone it until you have a proper training suit."

"Huh?" Kyouna frowned as she heard about training suit. "It means, we need to go to village again." Kakashi crinkled his eye as he smiled to the deadpanned girl.

* * *

Kakashi walked out the Hokage office after giving the Godaime his latest report about his 'mission', that was a good report because so far Kyouna made a good progress in her -almost three weeks- training. He didn't want to exhaust the girl and unable to make any progress, so he slowly added the number. But it's not enough, as one of the people who knew her powers Kakashi taught this training wasn't enough to restore it. He need to make a new portion of training, gladly Godaime already sent Naruto to various missions to kept the boy busy and won't bugging him to demand more training. And this morning, surprisingly Tsurubuchi had him talked about another training plan he made for the girl when he came to the shrine, the old Kannushi needed to hear about her progress before gave her another training which was different with Kakashi.

_"It is the time, Kakashi-san. Now or she won't able to restore her power anymore." The old man said to him as he poured a tea to his cup for second times, the jōnin blinked his eye. "Last night, she asked me to train her again. That's why I want to talk about this with you, is it okay for her to double the training? Because Kakashi-san, my training also as hard as yours." He took a sip of his tea and waited patiently for the younger man to talk. _

_"I don't know, I just slowly added her portion. In a week she able to made a good progress, but we don't know how she developed yet. She still passed out every time she got the headache." There's a silent paused between them. "But if you think she's ready, then why don't give a try?"_

Kakashi, the one who never one time, arrived in the third training ground 10 minutes early than he promised to, but the girl was already there hid herself behind the tree with a pout on her face. Kakashi grinned under his mask, that girl hated the shinobi suit he bought to her and forced to wear it only when she got the training with him in the shrine's training ground where no one could see. She would back to her usual attire when she trained alone, and now he brought her outside the shrine with her hated clothes. If he did this long time ago, surely he'd died.

"Come out, I want to discuss something." He called the hiding girl and leaned himself to the post, waiting for the girl walked out from her hideout to him as he examined the girl appearance in satisfied. "That will be great if you have a hitae-ate." He teased the girl, Kyouna snorted in reply, that jōnin kept dropping a topic she hates the most almost every time they train because this stupid ninja attire.

"I never want one." She muttered darkly.

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "For someone who hates the shinobi you're a hypocrite." He knew the girl was slowly regained her personality along with her memories and in his experience she will attack him soon, he just need to wait for it. Kakashi started mental count, but Kyouna's eyes narrowed.

"I know, but I need more training." She turned and walked closer to Kakashi. "Or I won't be strong." She slashed her tantō to him, Kakashi jumped back to dodge and reached his kunai with curving eye. "Good, don't hold back."

* * *

_Kyouna was walking in the forest to back to her village after being sent away to did her mission, which was her fifth mission this month and she was gotten used to did it alone since she was allowed to summon her demons outside Konoha. She was 10 and well trained to defend herself, besides who will attack her after the death of her parents. Her clan was finished and no one of her parent's enemy knew where she was, at least for 3 years before she felt something changed in 'that' world. As she asked to her summon, the yokai started to move more freely than before after hearing the death of her mother and they underestimated her power, the successor of the famous sealing jutsu. Sure, what kind of child could seal the yokai in the age of ten? She gritted her teeth angrily with the thought; they just didn't know it yet._

_Those stupid yokai should start to know their places since she was success to sealed almost 25 yokai this month they should be aware of her threat. Kyouna stopped walking when suddenly she felt some sparks of chakras behind her mind, one, two, three …ten! She wasn't sure who that was but it felt strange. Kushina was tried to found the uzumaki's ability in her and surprised with amount chakra and her ability to senses it, but she still needed a train for that. Konoha still far enough from her location this could be bad if the chakras was from another shinobi or rogue nin, thanks to her mission she was used most of her chakra to sealed the demons. She didn't know how much chakra left to summon her combat type demon, sending her shikigami couldn't be effective if the enemies were this much they will defeat it easily._

_Fought them? She only brought her azusa yumi, and her tantō, she wasn't sure lucky enough to escape, beside, she's already been surrounded. She sighed, died in age of ten wasn't her plan but what else could she do. Kyouna decided to walked again pretended nothing happened, she slipped her ofuda and casted the spell as fast as she could. Kojima, her summon appeared right when the enemies jumped to her with their kunai. He deflected them with his large sword and caught her waist to dodge; she reached her hidden tantō and nodded at her demon. _

_They landed and faced the shinobi, from their hitai ate she could tell them from Iwagakure, they were completely armored, it wasn't a fight fair for her, with her least chakra she used to summoned Kojima she didn't knew how it will last. Although Kojima was a samurai yokai and could handle the battle, but if the summoner died he'll disappeared, she hoped he'll bought them some times. The yokai bent his body, his stance was a battle ready. With a small nod he flight to the enemies while Kyouna threw another ofuda which turned to be a giant eagle who caught her and flew far enough until she couldn't held it because her chakra drastically decreased, silently she sent another shikigami with her last chakra. She released her shikigami to land and started running on her feet, she was exhausted, summoned Kojima costs a lot chakra and she unconsciously tripped over the roots. _

_With a curse she crawled to hide behind the tree and prepared her tantō, this is too much, she grunted when she realized that her foot was sprained. She felt that spark coming to her direction, she jerked up and hold the pain on her foot by bitten her lips tried to hide her presence. That was three of them who ran past her, fortunately she was very good in hiding her presence, she need to buy a time until the backup came._

* * *

_Minato was on his way to the training ground with Kakashi, he promised to train his team while he had day off from mission. His wife forced him to brought Kakashi home since her niece was out of the village for a mission and made him slept in her room, as long as Kyouna didn't knew it everything was fine. That girl didn't getting along with his student, especially Kakashi, although she was almost had same personality like him. She was quite, almost over serious but sometimes lost in her mind and ignored her surroundings. In other side she was as noisy and violent as Kushina, reminded two violent women in his house made him shivered. _

_"Sensei, why do you always drag me to your house every time she gone for mission?" Kakashi asked with a bored tone. _

_Minato scratched the back of his head sheepishly, because she think both of you are matched. "I don't know, maybe because she loves kids."_

_"I'm not a kid sensei, I'm a chūnin and next I'll pass the jōnin exam." Kakashi's face scrunched up at his sensei's words._

_"Hai, I believe you will pass. But first we need to-" Minato stopped his words when a black crow flew to him and tried to perched on his shoulder. Kyouna's shikigami. He was getting used with his niece's stuffs and code. A black crow shikigami meant she's doomed_

_Kakashi narrowing his eyes when he saw Minato's expression turn dark. "What is it sensei? What's with that black crow?"_

_"It's Kyouna's shikigami, she's in trouble."_

_"But she was out of village isn't she?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, he didn't even know where was she. _

_"Gomen, I have to postpone today training. Kakashi, you go tell Obito and Rin, I'll get her, and fortunately she didn't realize I put my hiraishi seal on her yebira. But catch me up later, it's not usual for her to ask for help." The second glance Minato was gone, Kakashi ran to training ground and yelled out the postpone excuse for his teammate before left them in another blink, because Minato already teleported him. _

_Kakashi found himself stood on the branch beside his sensei who observed the situation below, his eyes screening the view of the little girl with overly height of bow hidden on the branch of tree and prepared to shoot three arrows at once. Kakashi blinked at the girl, she killed the enemies by herself but why did she need her uncle help? _

_His eyes turned bored as he faced at Minato and he dragged me again. He turned to continued observed but gasped as he saw the girl staggered and fell from the branch, she was panting and bleeding but she tried to stand and held her bow. Is she going to use that as a weapon? Quickly he scanned the perimeter, behind that tree lay seven dead bodies and a broken tantō, so she killed ten shinobi and battered, not bad he mentally noted. Minato pat his shoulder and jerked his chin forward, another backup from Iwagakure showed. "You save her, I'll take care the rest." He smiled._

* * *

_Kyouna couldn't hold any longer, she was extremely exhausted and injured. Her tantō broken after the clash with big sworded ninja and now she's out of arrows. Another backup were coming, she wasn't lucky ran to the troops of shinobi on her way back from mission and had to fight with twenty ninja, well, Kojima handled ten of them and he was gone now. Humph, she grumped, sure she hated ninja. At least she didn't plan to die hung on a tree like this, she wasn't teru bōzu. She slide down the branch and hit the ground, staggered to stand and held her last weapon on her stance._

_"You come with me!" A hand pulling her from behind, Kyouna gasped out but couldn't dodge. She was pulled away and pushed to the ground, she yelped at sting of the pain on her foot. "Oh, right. You're injured." The boy bent down and started to examine her foot and her wounds, Kyouna blinked at him._

_"What are you doing here?" She hissed and snapped his hand. Kakashi rolled his eye and stared the girl in annoyance. _

_"He dragged me here." He pointed at Minato who was battling with another troops of Iwa's shinobi, the girl widened her eyes at him and reflect took a kunai from the boy's pouch and threw it to his back. Kakashi glanced at his back. "You run!" He ordered and stood to his stance, another troops coming to them. Kyouna raised her hand to hold the boy but he already jumped to protect her, she stared at Kakashi's back for a moment. _

_That boy never been friendly to her since their first met, he was so stern and underestimated her and getting worse when she beat him in kenjutsu. Her uncle was tried to find her a friend from his genin team, but she wasn't interested. Obito always late and too noisy, Rin was smart but too sweet and kind, although her medical skill was impressive her offensive skill was nothing against her. So Minato always sent her to spar with Kakashi, they always ended up fighting and Obito always cheered for her since he was envied Kakashi especially because he had crush on Rin and Rin had crush on Kakashi who didn't had any interest to love. Pathetic love triangle in this team made her sick. _

_Her eyes softened, she pulled her lips to smiled and with her bow she tried to stood, that baka Kakashi thought he could handle them alone huh. She was needed to break them into small groups and eliminated them one by one because they're good, but that spiky guy handle all of them alone to buy her time, she mentally shrugged before shared another glance at her uncle. Well, died to protect the two soon to be greatest shinobi wasn't bad idea. She took a kunai from one of Iwa nin dead body and ran to backup Kakashi. _

_Kakashi's back stiffened when he felt another back pressed to his, he glanced back and scowled. That girl was there to protect his back, he wanted to spat but was too distracted to think his words, just how many Iwa's troops in this forest? This battle had no end. Kyouna bit her lip, she thought her chakra was in limit but in fact she still could move her body to fight maybe she still have some. _

_The girl pulled two ofuda and threw it to the air, mold her last chakra to the papers and casted a spell. Those papers turned into two giant eagles. One catched her and Kakashi, another one catched Minato. The men were surprised but didn't protest when they realized the birds was taken them away from battle ground to saved them before vanished right in front of the village gate. Kakashi turned to hit the girl on head but frowned when he saw the girl lay on the ground beside him and didn't move, panicked he shook her body._

_"Oiy, wake up, oiy!" Kakashi slapped her cheek to wake the girl, slowly Kyouna opened her eyes and smiled. "Are you crazy, you waste all your chakra, you will-" he didn't continue his words, the girl was laugh weakly. He gotten more worried when he saw her eyes started to closed, Kyouna moved her lips. _

_"Ariga…tou" she whispered with smile as she saw Kakashi's eyes widened in horror at her and called out her name. But his voice wasn't clear, she could hear anything. Her vision started to gotten black, but Kakashi face was there, his eyes were worried she wanted to ask but she can't. Her eyes didn't cooperate with her, and that was dark._

* * *

"Kyouna!" Kakashi shouted her name; the girl was tripped when they're sparring and hit her head over the rock. Kyouna felt her world spinning and her visions blurry, Kakashi reached her back and hold her, still calling out her name. She felt very dizzy and sick, but tried to stay awake although it was too much for her. She shift her gaze at the man's face, Kakashi was stared at her in horror. She pulled her lips to smile, it's felt same with that time, his eye was same, the darkness too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto.**

This chapter is about Kakashi and Kyouna's past.

* * *

**Chapter 7  
**

**Konoha, ****12 years ago.**

"Oji-chan, I brought your bento." Young Kyouna walked into the Hokage's office with a pack of his bento box in her hand. Minato raised his head from the scroll he just read to the twelve years old girl with bored expression on her face.

"Ah, I forget to bring it with me. _Gomen_, Kyouna. I waste your time." The little girl shook her head and put the box on his table.

"You're just officiated as the newest Hokage, we can't help it if you're busy." Minato laughed at her words, he patted his niece's head.

"Arigatou ne, let's have lunch together with me, will you?"

"I can't oji-chan, I have to learn this ninja stuffs right?" Kyouna pulled out the scroll from her pocket, and scowled at her scroll. "I have to learn these stuffs and go to buy these before start my training. I wish tenth October coming sooner."

She showed the list of Kushina's order of baby items they was forgot to bought yesterday, Minato grinned. The girl was too happy to complained when his wife ordered her to go shopping, no matter how she hated shopping she endured it, just for their soon born son, her will be little brother.

"_Hai. Ganbatte ne_, I'm sorry I couldn't help you with your training anymore." The girl waved her hand lazily to him.

"It's okay, ojichan. I can manage it by myself."

"But you need partner to spar so we can evaluate your progress. I'll ask Kakashi to help with your training. "

"No, thank you. I prefer the trio to train with me, than him." she said dully, Minato chuckled.

The trio was the posts in the training ground, she's been trained to attack the post lately. Cut them into small pieces with her katana just to keep her skill sharp because lately she often sent out of the village for missions alone. Although her relationships with Kakashi were much better, she never wanted to bother the boy. Since the third shinobi great war over and Kakashi lost his teammates, Kyouna became his friend beside Gai before the boy decided to join ANBU squad and buried himself into the business. She made her visit to his apartment once or twice a week to bring him food or checked the teen for him.

"Nah, I have to go. I don't want to disturb you, jichan. _Mata ne_." she bowed and walked out the Yondaime's office with her scroll, muttering something about ultimate barrier thing and left the smiling Hokage behind.

* * *

**10th October, 12 years ago.**

Kyouna frowned, she felt something bad when she walked home to Konoha from her mission, she was felt uneasy since this morning when her uncle sent her to slay another yokai in other village. She wanted to be at Kushina's side too with Minato to helped her and see the newborn, but that stupid yokai ruined her plan. Her uncle was forced to sent her off because that was her duty as a miko, she just want to go home sooner that's why she refused the head village's offer to stayed for a night. However, what was this feeling, something evil. She fled with her yokai as fast as it could to Konoha, as she got closer to village the bad feeling gotten stronger, she released her yokai and ran to the gate.

"Miko-sama!" the gate keepers ran to her when they say Kyouna jumped down from a giant eagle.

"What happened? I got a very bad feeling." She asked the men.

"Kyuubi attacked the village, Miko-sama." Her eyes went wild as she heard his word, her mind ran to her aunt, Kushina ba-chan. "But Yondaime fought it, he teleported it to-" Kyouna ignored the rest and ran home. She threw her ofuda to summon her shikigami and sent it to find Minato while she ran to Hokage tower. The village mostly destroyed, everyone running to hide. She needed to find her uncle! A gripped on her hand stopped her, she turned and saw the man with red eye hold her hand and forced her to stop.

"Miko-sama, please come with me!" She struggled to go but she wasn't strong enough for this man. He dragged the girl to the forest with other young shinobi there. "Please stay here, we don't know about the situation yet." Explained the man before he turned to face another young shinobi behind her.

Kyouna frowned when she saw Kakashi and Gai was there too, he was in his ANBU grey chest armor without his porcelain mask. Kakashi ran to Kyouna and helped her to stand which was pushed away by her.

"No! I have to go to his side, I can seal the Kyuubi!" She yelled but two adult ninja cached and gripped her tightly, she rebelled to free herself from the grip and screamed. "Let me go!" But the men didn't let her go no matter how hard she tried. They put the seal barrier on the trees around the youngster and protected them while the red eyed man gave them order.

"Now listen up! All of you, young shinobi are stay away from the Kyuubi!" Kurenai blinked at her father. "What do you mean by that father?"

"This is not a battle between villages, this is domestic trouble. There is no reason for you all to risks your lives."

"Speak to yourself!" Kurenai snapped and clenched her fist, Asuma who stood beside her hold her shoulder to make her calm. "Calm down Kurenai!"

"You are shinobi too, you know we're not guaranteed a long life." The man stared intently at her daughter stern expression. "But, my daughter. At least pass on the will of fire to my grandchild." Kurenai eyes widened in surprise, the old man's eyes softened and smiled. "Make that your oath to your father ne, I do believe in you." He turned and disappeared.

That was a silent before Kyouna broke it with her move to slide her feet and made the men who gripped her fell to his knees. She gave the rest some hit and kicked before another shinobi jumped to catch her, the young miko was too hysterical to hold only with two ninja without hurting her. She rebelled and start crying, shouting a plea to let her go. With a hopeless look she turned to Kakashi who stood in silent.

"Kakashi! Help me please, I need to help them. I can help them, you knew it right. Kakashi!" she yelled at him but Kakashi was frozen. "Kakashi!" she screamed in desperate. What was with him, didn't he worried with his sensei?

She was still crying when her eyes suddenly snapped open and she stared at the sky with wild look, the evil jyaki was gone. Her body weakened and fell to the ground when the guards decided to released her. Gai ran to her to calm the girl because Kakashi still frowned and Asuma held Kurenai. "Kyouna-san, are you all right? Calm down, Kyouna-san."

"It's gone." She said with hoarse voice and blinked slowly, still gazing the sky with her weary eyes. "Kyuubi was sealed away." She repeated weakly held on her knees with wet eyes. Gai eyes widened, he turned to the adult and sent the message. Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma stared at the crying miko and turned when another shinobi came to the forest and announced the same news to them.

"Kyuubi was sealed away! The village saved!" the gasped of relief heard between them, but the messenger face turned dark. "But we lost Yondaime Hokage." He added with small voice. Kakashi and Kyouna froze in shock. It's a lie. It's a lie, without she realized she's already running from the forest to the village direction ignoring the voice called her name behind.

* * *

No one could stop her tears, crying out loud her lost in one of hidden room in Hokage tower towards two dead bodies lay frozen in their coffins. She fell on the floor gripping her hakama in tears as Kakashi cried in silent stood stiffened beside her. No one tried to consoled them, not the Sandaime or the elders, they were felt the same lost until Akimichi choja walked and put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"How's the child, Sandaime-sama?" Koharu asked her teammate.

Sarutobi nodded. "He's saved, ANBU guard him now." Kyouna's eyes snapped open, the baby's alive, she turned to face the adults. "Let me see him!" she cried, the adults saw her in confuse looks. Kakashi glanced sideways at the girl still in his silent cry.

"He's fine in ANBU quarter, before we send him to orphanage." Sarutobi's word made Kyouna's eyes gone wild.

"No! No you can't send him to that place." She spat. "I will take him!" The miko added, Kakashi now turned to saw the 12 years old girl screamed to Sandaime in surprise. "I'm his only family, I have a right to take him." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.

"I know Kyouna-chan. But you're too young to take him, you don't know how to raise a kid." He put his hands on her shoulder tried to calm the miko.

"I can learn it, I've been take care of myself since I was seven. I can take care of him." She ducked her head in pain. "Beside I promised them that I will protect him, I'm his sister." She sobbed, reminded her to a nice conversation with her aunt that afternoon. "Please Hokage-sama, now he's the only family I have." The adults exchanged their looked considering her words.

Homura Mitokado walked to her side. "I understand your feeling, but you're too young for this. We afraid the kyuubi will escape and you can't do anything if something bad happen again like this." Kyouna bit her lips, her heart crushed, her last family was gone, and her last piece was taken away. She promised to take him back.

* * *

**Twelve months later**

Hiruzen sighed heavily, the village hasn't restored completely and still in unstable condition. He was assigned back to be Hokage and stayed in Hokage tower, Kyouna was brought back Minato's belonging to their previous apartment and still coming almost three times a month begged him to let her took Naruto. She always came to orphanage to see the baby, since the orphanage caretaker was afraid with the infant, they let her took care everything even if she needed to go for mission she would sent her shikigami as her substitute. Never keep her eyes off from him.

When he came to inspect, the matron begged him to give the baby to the girl, they were same like other villagers, resented the boy for containing the fox that had destroyed their home. He was thinking the same plan since the death of the baby's parent, but convinced the council and the villagers wasn't easy, they won't against his words as Hokage but he wanted the peaceful way to solve the problem.

He already decreed that nobody should ever speak of the truth about Naruto contained the Kyuubi, and even change his family name to Uzumaki to protect the boy that was made the miko freaked, because Namikaze was completely suited him since that was his father name, he was also the hero to kept the kyuubi saved. But that will be the caused of another threat to the baby if he used Namikaze name because his father was had many enemies. And to think him as the hero as Minato's request was also hard for the villagers. Only a few of them honored his request while mostly instead resented him.

He was finally held the jōnin meeting to discuss the Naruto case and got more voices including six biggest clan's voices, he still had to face his rival Danzō, although in the end he won but he knew it wasn't over. As his rival, Danzō was a hard opponent, but all he did was to protect the village, and he knew that. He even warns him to keep his eye on these clans, because he didn't believe in them, if he allowed the girl to take Naruto.

She needed to be protected strictly, she's still young and the infant still vulnerable to attacked and worse killed if someone wanted to extract the kyuubi out. Sighing, he pulled out a paper from his drawer and put his stamp on it, when no one wants him and only that girl who wants him badly, why doesn't give a try.

"You call me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi appeared behind the Hokage chair in his ANBU gear and Dog porcelain mask on his face. Hiruzen stuffing another fresh tobacco into his pipe and light it before gaving his order to the young man.

"Meet Kyouna on the gate and bring her here. She'll be back soon from her mission." Kakashi nodded and vanished, it was rare to assign him picking her out. Why don't he just summon her like usual? He mentally shrugged.

Kakashi just leaned on the village gate when he saw the girl jumped down from her giant bird still with her blank and uncaring expression on her face and holding her overly height bow. She glanced sideway at him and then locked her gaze while she walked to him.

"What is it?" She stopped right in front of him and stared him right in the eye-holes, she looked tired and bruises. "You're not coming to greet me right, Kakashi." He blinked behind the mask, she knew he was in ANBU but he never showed his mask to her or anyone except the Hokage, that was the rule. How could she know that was him? "So, I'm right." She titling her head and smile "I'm pretty good in guessing something hidden right?"

"Follow me. Hokage wants your presence." Kakashi turned away and started to walk, Kyouna sighed at the guy's attitude. Maybe she shouldn't reveal his disguised at the first place.

* * *

The pair walked into Hokage office and bowed at the old man, Sarutobi nodded at them and made Kakashi to stay with them. "How's your mission Kyouna?" he asked the girl.

"Mission accomplished, Hokage sama, there were some trouble but in the end it turned well." She rubbed her left arm nervously, hoped the man didn't realized some bruises on her face. Sandaime surveyed the girl and puffing out the smoke from his pipe.

"You look tired, I bet that was hard for you."

"Um, yeah, a little. That was just a higher level yokai than usual. But I'm fine." She shrugged.

"I guess so, your shikigami still looked fine." Hiruzen smirked, his pipe slide between his lips, Kyouna sweat dropped. So the man knew, of course he'd knew it, he's Hokage. "It's okay, that wasn't your dangerous yokai anyway." He chuckled, the stupid rule for the girl still valid, she prohibited to summoned yokai or any nonhuman thing in the village for their safety. Though he believed if the girl didn't order her summon to hurt them they're just fine, and of course she won't do that.

"Kyouna, how long you will visit the boy? You keep coming every day to the orphanage and take care of him, even sending your substitute in charge every time you need to go out of village. It's almost been a year." The Sandaime asked the girl.

Kakashi stood in silent, he knew about that since he also did the same. Silently watched the boy if he hadn't any mission and made sure he was fine, of course he's fine, Kyouna or her shikigami were always at his side. The miko gulped, but she clenched her fist. "Forever." She said confidently with her serious look.

Kakashi stared at her behind his porcelain mask, she wasn't giving up her request on Naruto. To prove her ability she kept the good record on her evaluation and learnt more and more techniques, she was got her name as ghost of Konoha in the Third shinobi world war. That because her skills to track enemy's position, made a great barrier to protect their medic and supplies troops, and hid her presence to sneaked into the enemy's camp and set the trap. Kyouna and her silent action.

Sarutobi smiled seeing the determination of the girl in her 13 age she was proved her existence to the world same as the older boy beside her, Minato raised a good and talented kids. "Well, I've seen you from the first time you came here until this time and examined your record with the other. Yesterday we had the last meeting to process your proposal, maybe they're getting bored with your unstoppable proposal so we finally decided to grant it."

Her eyes widened, "A-are you sure Hokage-sama?" Sandaime nodded and lifted out the yellow files from his drawer and offering it to her, the teen received the files, opened it and skimmed the papers, her eyes narrowed as she read those papers. She raised her head, "It's still temporary."

"You're still underage to adopt a kid, I need to use my position to convince the council and other jōnin for this. You will be monitored and inspected regularly until you reach fine age to adopt him legally. That's the condition if you still want to took him with you, Kyouna, do you mind it?" the Hokage questioned the girl pointedly.

"_Hai_, Hokage-sama!" She answered it quickly, inwardly she knew – _knew_- it very well that it won't be easy for her, but she won't give up on him, never. She promised her aunt to protect the boy and last year she repeated the promise when she held their funeral that she will get him back with her for sure.

"Kakashi, you witness this and also I have another thing to do for you." The old man shifted his gazed to the ANBU. "You will investigate the council, the head clans and other highly power jōnin with your team. I'm afraid those who oppose the decisions were up to something, we just prepared for the worst." Kakashi nodded, the men attentions back to the beaming girl who wiped her tears but didn't stop smiling.

"You can took him today, but if you're tired you can-"

"No, I'm fine." Kyouna cut off and snapped back at her attitude, she bent her head many times to the Hokage in apology. "_Gomenasai,_ Hokage sama."

Sarutobi laughed and waved his hand. "_Hai, hai_. It's okay, Kyouna. You can go to him now with Kakashi."Kyouna smiled widely and bowed deeply to the Hokage in reply.

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. I swear to protect him with my life."

* * *

Kakashi examined the girl in silent, she was overly joy after their meeting with Hokage and got her 'temporary' right to take her cousin, his sensei's son; he ignored the stung in his heart every time he remembered his master. He smiled under his mask when he saw the younger girl holding the baby happily in her arms walked out the orphanage. He decided to assist them home, since he had nothing to do and it's their special day.

"His second birthday is the day after tomorrow." She turned to faced the ANBU, Kakashi saw the tired from her face was gone. "You will come, right Kakashi?" she asked him hopefully. The baby in her arms made a sound and wriggled, took her attention back to him, Kyouna rocked him to soothe. "Hush hush little baby, we'll get home soon and have milk for you, Naruto."

Kakashi blinked in disbelieve with the scene he saw right now, Kyouna was holding Naruto with her - surprisingly- motherly look and the sunset behind them made a great picture of the pair. He wanted to immortalize the moment in a picture badly but he standing stiff unmoving, he always brought his camera everywhere. As an ANBU camera was very useful to took a picture of their target and almost everyone in the squad have one. He smiled when he realized that he'll take many pictures from now on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Kakashi tried to keep himself calm when Tsunade did her schedule check up to Kyouna in the hospital, he got scolded because let the girl being hurt. She hit her head over the rock and now she unconscious again for almost ten hours. If only he didn't tease her she won't attack him and tripped, all he did just because he wanted to test her, and he ruined it. The Godaime smirked when she saw her subordinate almost turned crazy for the umpteenth times over the girl. She glanced back at the unconscious girl, she didn't get any damaged on her head, physically, no intracranial bleeding. But she wasn't completely sure about her mental state because she still fainted. They needed to wait for her to awake. And it will take some times, she shifted her gaze to Kakashi, that man was screwed, she decided to dismiss him from hospital.

"Go and find something to eat, Kakashi. You've been here since you brought her in the morning, and it's already past dinner time." Kakashi nodded but he didn't make a move from the girl, Tsunade glared at the man, should she used a force to kick him out? "I know you're worry about her but you have to eat something, we can't force her to wake. Go now or I kick the hell out of you?" the jōnin flinched, he just made the monstrous and short-tempered Hokage pissed, it's suicide.

"_H-hai_." He stood and walked out the room half hearted, considering to left his bunshin but sure he'll also easily get kicked by her. Sighing, he browsed the street searched the place for eat, and decided to go to Shushuya. He could eat yakitori and had some drinks there, because he felt an urge to had drinks after having such hard month walked back to the past and damaged his own brain with those nightmares and filled his heart with guilt, if the girl didn't awake it's his entire fault. The Shushuya was a large place with pillars that supports the building, high ceilings with multiple small lights, a bar with stools that display most of their alcohol bottles, and multiple wooden booths for the customers to sit in.

Kakashi scanned the restaurant to find empty booth for him alone but that place was packed tonight, he thought to choose another place when his sight catches Asuma waving his hand from the booth in the corner. He was with Kurenai, of course, Kakashi was guessing they were dating but the pair seemed still didn't want to revealed their relationship. He shrugged and decided to join them.

"It's rare to see you hanging around here alone, Kakashi." Kurenai was a little chatty than usual, he took a glance of few bottle of sake. Kakashi didn't answer, he waved his hand to order his dinner and another bottle of sake. Asuma light another cigarette and puffing out the smoke before he started to talk.

"I heard from Shizune you're in an important guarding mission, huh Kakashi?" He smirked a little and continued. "Guarding the Miko." Kakashi glanced at his jōnin friend and his girlfriend before nodded a little and start eating in silent.

"Naruto kept complaining when he got stupid missions with my team. He said since you brought him to the shrine to guard a ghostly lady he has no luck with any missions he got." Kurenai giggling and took another sip of sake. "Care to tell us about that? You're not the only one who missed her, you know." She paused to pour sake as Kakashi stared at her and gave a little laugh over her words, Kurenai scowled. "That's true, I know she's not a shinobi, but as a girl, she was fun to hang around with."

"_Konoha no yūrei ka_." Asuma gazed a little. "Our first met was when we arranged surprised party for your promotion to jōnin, remember? That was an epic failed because you're catch cold, Gai made a fuss and she was try to shooing us away because of that, then you're pick a fight with her. Left us watched you for almost ten minutes in silent hahaha." Kurenai joined in laugh with him. Kakashi shrugged as he remembered how fierce she was. "Ah, she was so cruel to me that time."

* * *

**_Konoha, 13 years ago_**

_Kakashi was promoted to jōnin when he was 13 but unfortunately, he got a cold after he took his last 'test' with Minato under the rain. He was about to sleep in his dorm when Kyouna came and knocked the door, she was scowled a little when he opened the door for her._

_"What do you want?" he asked her coldly, the girl eyes narrowed, stared at him sharply and spat. "That's a very nice of you to greet someone who comes to give you foods and medicine huh?"_

_"I didn't ask you to come." He examined the girl, she looked like just finished with her training because she brought her katana and in her training kimono suit with backpack and a wet umbrella that she put by the door. _

_"I didn't want to come either, but Kushina-bachan will kill me and your sensei will torture me with his ninja training. Now won't you let me in?" Kakashi stepped beside to let her in his dorm and put her backpack on the desk, dug into it and brought out a metal container with soup and some bento boxes. "Come and eat, Kakashi. You have to eat before get your medicine." She shoved the food to him and forced him to eat. "Eat now or I fed you with force!" she glared at the new jōnin who sit and stared her in suspicious look. _

_Kakashi sighed and decided to obey, he was too tired to argue back. Sooner he done his meal and got his medicine sooner she would gone from his place. While he eat his food Kyouna sit on a footstool, ignored the boy and muttered some words he thought was kind of spell she need to remember. "Gochisousama." _

_Kakashi put his chopstick on the half empty bento box to hinted the girl that he's done with his meal, Kyouna glanced a little, gave him his medicine and repack the leftover."That was below your fastest eating speed record, Kakashi." _

_He was about to protest when he realized their faces was closed, she put her forehead on his to checked his temperature. "You got a fever, drink this and go to bed. I'll give you a compress." She pulled out her soft blue small towel from her bag and dug for a small bowl from his cabinet. She went out the room to find water and back to wet the towel. _

_Realized the boy didn't obey her word she pulled out her ofuda and made two shikigami clones of her to drag him to his bed, Kakashi glared in protest but the original was glared back and slapped his face with a wet towel before put it on his forehead, she smirked and set a footstool beside his bed. "A genius can catch a cold hmm? Bakakashi!"_

_"Urusai." He spat and turned his face, Kyouna snorted and back to her scroll. "When are you going to leave?" Kakashi asked the girl with his heartless tone and received another smack from her scroll, he jerked up and glare at her. She ignored the glare, pushed him back to sleep and covered him with blanket before she put the towel back to his forehead._

_"Just shut up and sleep, Kakashi! Jichan said you're rarely get sick, but this time you can't help it. I know how it feels when get sick and alone." She took her scroll back to read. "Don't mind me, just sleep I won't make any noise." Kakashi glanced at the girl who seemed drown back in her scroll and turned his face away, the medicine has begun to react because his eyes gotten heavier._

* * *

_He didn't remember how long he's been asleep when his door suddenly banged opened with loud voices jerked him up, first he thought that was Kyouna but she was also jumped from her seat facing the door with surprised. There was Gai, Asuma, Genma, Ebisu, and Kurenai stood in front of the door with frozen grin on their face. That was a silent between them before Kyouna clear her throath and made them snapped to their world and relaxed. _

_"What are you doing here?" Kakashi sat on his bed and growled at his friends were break into his room. The crowds exchanged glances for a while before Asuma took a step forward handed his gift on his hand. _

_"Congratulation for promoted to jōnin!" they exclaimed together, sounded louder because Gai was there with his loud voice. "Too bad Rin and Obito could not come, they're off for a mission with other jōnin."_

_Kakashi and Kyouna blinked at the group as their rushed forward to handed their gift and started to chattered, ignoring the confuse look from the pair until Genma snapped and grinning suspiciously at Kyouna. "Kyouna-sama. What are you doing in Kakashi's place?" He made the crowds realized her presence and turned to the girl who tried to looked away from them awkwardly. "He got a cold, Minato-jichan asked me to, uhm…take care of him."_

_"Kakashi, you got cold? How unyouthful! I told you before, you're lack in power of youth." Gai exclaimed, made the rest cringe with his loud voice. He started blabber out about their competition and another youthful thing, Kakashi staggered, his head spinning and got worse with this loud green clad yelling around his packed place. In other hand Kyouna twitched, she had enough experience with this Konoha no Kedakaki Aoi Mōju and his common cliché of youth when she went to Land of Frost for mission with Kakashi and Gai's team._

_"Minato sensei is your uncle?" Kurenai changed the topic and stared at the weird girl, she didn't have hitae-ate and not looked like any kunoichi. Especially because her kimono and weird tattoo on her forehead, her dark hair contrast with her bright eyes. She was practically small and looked weak. _

_"Ah, you're that Tokugawa Kyouna-san right?" Asuma tapped his hand and grinning. "I don't know you're close with Kakashi." _

_"Hai. I'm Kyouna. Uzumaki Kushina's niece, I live with Minato and Kushina-san." Kyouna decided to give them proper introduction. "And actually we're not that close." She glanced sideways to Kakashi and scowled._

_"They're always like that, exuding their killing intent each other. It's also happened when we're in previous mission, right Gai?" Genma whispered to his friends and they're start whispering about the pair. Kakashi sweat dropped as Kyouna deadpanned watching the crowds. _

_"If you have times for gossiping like that, better you're start training or go home." Kakashi said coldly to them, Gai was about to protest at his attitude when Kyouna cut off._

_"Sorry for that, but he's not in a good shape to have a party, maybe you can come later." She explained with smiled._

_"You too, go home!" Kakashi snapped at her, the young miko twitched, she clenched her fist and gave him another thwack on his head. "I told you to shut up, bakakashi!" she snapped back, Kakashi growled at the 2 years younger girl who dared enough to hit his head. Kyouna didn't want to lose, she growled back at him, the pair was start their silent fight again, made the crowds sweat dropped at them. _

* * *

_No longer after that stupid fight, his friends were dismissed from his place and left him with various gift – a box of kunai from Kurenai, metal arms protectors from Ebisu, new mesh body suit from Genma, a tekagi-shuko from Asuma and a green jumpsuit from Gai. Which made him cringed. – Kyouna was cleaning his room went out to the kitchen to heated up his miso soup for dinner. The girl remind quite as she did all the chores. After setting up the desk, she called Kakashi for dinner and gave him a medicine before packing up her things. _

_"Your fever had gone down. After taking a sleep you'll get better tomorrow." She said as she stood to hold her backpack and sighed. "I guessed he'll send me here again tomorrow. Get well soon, I can't handle my headache towards your green rival if I have to meet him again here." She reached her katana and looked at it in deep thought. "You know, I'm not a ninja so I don't have any shinobi's tool with me. I only have this." She raised her katana and put it on the bed. "You can have it as your gift."_

_Kakashi eyes widened, he knew that katana. She always brought it everywhere, for training or on mission. Obito teased her once, said that katana was like a boyfriend to her. "Oiy, you don't have to give me any gift. I don't need that." Kakashi tried to refuse her gift, Kyouna was a step ahead to the door when she stopped and turned to him._

_"Don't worry, I still have some of them. Well, that wasn't my family heirloom or anything, but that was my first and favorite katana. I always keep it sharp and still in a good condition. You're good in kenjutsu, I think you deserve a good sword too. Next time we spar, use that as your weapon against me." She opened the door and smiled. "Omedeto, Kakashi." _

* * *

Kakashi took another sip of sake, he inwardly smiled as he remembered the katana she gave to him at that time. He always uses it when he's still in ANBU and now that sword was stored safely at his house.

"Since that failed party, you became friend with her right Kurenai?" Asuma took a yakitori from Kakashi's plate. The reddish eyes woman nodded. "Kunoichi from our generations are rare."

"But I remember Genma had crush on her doesn't he? Then Gai came out with new idea of his challenge to you because of her. That trio gave you another hard time right Kakashi, thanks to Kyouna you don't have time to take a breath."

Asuma burst in laugh as he remembered how desperate Kakashi was because not only Gai with his youthful challenge, but also Genma with his 'unique' way to catch her attention bugged him a lot. Kyouna was always seen with Kakashi if they're had day off to train or helped Minato because that man sent them to, as usual the girl always ignore the flirting guys and buried herself into her scrolls. That made the men frustrated and sent it out on Kakashi.

Genma just walked in to Shushuya with Raidō when they saw Asuma and others on the corner, they walking towards them to join. Kurenai smirked and jerked her chin to the men of elite bodyguard squad, "Speak of the devil."

"Oy, Kakashi. We just meet Godaime-sama and saw her at the hospital with Yondaime's niece." Genma took a sit beside Kakashi. "Why didn't you tell me that she's back? Afraid I'll steal her from you, huh?" he laughed and received the glare from his friend. "Well, three years has passed. She's been even prettier, I understand if you want to keep her by yourself." He still laughed and even smacked Kakashi's back, Asuma and Raidō joined as Kurenai snickered at him. Genma was always joking and teasing his friends, no exception for Kakashi, no matter he ignored him or not.

"By the way, it's rare to see three of you gathered along here. Especially you, Kakashi." Raidō pointed the one eyed jōnin after saying his order to the waiter.

"It's his special day." Asuma grinning and ignored the look from the copy nin. "We're just reminiscing our friendship with Kyouna-san."

"Ooh, reminiscing your girlfriend, Kakashi? Are you already decided to marry her? Well, that's true she's back now, but she looked not good and-" Genma was cut off, he earned a thwack on his head from Kakashi as another laugh burst from the others. Kurenai waved her glass to the men and chattered.

"Do you remember our date in festival after the inauguration of the Yondaime? When everyone were had their date, only Kakashi remind alone, so we decided to found him a date."

"Oh, I thought I saw you before, Asuma was with Kurenai, Obito and Rin, Shizune with Gai. And you were with Anko right, Genma?" Raidō leaned forward, showed his interest to the topic.

"Ah, she was troublesome." He rubbed the back of his head and gazed a little. "But the luckiest guy was this bastard, he got the Miko for his date."

* * *

_That was a great festival in Konohagakure no sato, Namikaze Minato was inaugurate as the newest Hokage, the whole village were in party to celebrate it. They're marched and carrying the Hokage in norimono through the village. The norimono were used by the samurai and wealthy individual, but since that was one of the legacies of the Miko, they got her permission to use it as the symbol of relationship between Konoha and Kazan no Kuni, the origin place of the father of the Miko. _

_There were some of food stalls, games stalls and a big stage in the centre of village to performs, there were Taiko performance, Sumo demonstrations, Martial arts demonstrations, performance, Kabuki and Buyo dance by Tokugawa Kyouna. She was dragged to perform by her aunt, Kushina and the elders for the sake of the festival. They thought because the girl was a highly educated girl from a noble family she could performed easily, as a miko she must have used to dance in the public to perform Kagura. _

_Kakashi walked along the road with his friends eating his takoyaki when they met the girls, Genma came with the idea to have a date in this festival. Rin was wanted to walk with him when he refused and let Obito took her. He walked on the last line, behind his couple friends enjoyed his meal alone. They're watched the performances on the third rows, the first row was the councils, the head division, the Yondaime and Sandaime also some head clans. They're cringed when Gai with his youthful spirit jumped up to the stage to join the martial arts performance, made Shizune as his date flushed in shame and his friends frowned in shock._

_Kakashi shook his head, _why do I have this guy as a rival_, from the corner of his eyes he saw two familiar figures were argue in other side of the stage. He squinted, that was Kushina in her bright red kimono with peony patterns talked with a girl wearing a dark blue kimono with sakura patterns and brought a fan. The rest of her hair was in a small bun and some was left to fall beside her cheeks, she worn a big blue sakura kanzashi combined with a metal strips attached by rings to the body of the ornament on her bun. Made the kanzashi pleasantly tinkling when she move her head. Knowing the girl was with Kushina, he had no doubt that girl was Kyouna. Shrugging he turned his attention back to the stage, Gai was still there, showing off his Konoha Senpū and suddenly he got a headache. _

_"Yo, Kakashi. You see how great the power of my youth in this sparkling evening. You have to put some in yours so the girls will always put their eyes on you, my rival." Gai exclaimed and beamed to his friend who still looked away from him. Understood he was not taken Kakashi's attention he secretly followed his direction of view to the other side of the stage and his jaw was hanged open. Genma and Asuma caught the sight of the duo, they glanced at the same direction of them and snickered, share their idly gazed each other. _

* * *

_The MC announced next performance and called the girl's name to the stage, Kyouna gave her aunt last pout and start to climb up the stair to the stage. As the music started to play she moved her body along the music, gracefully swung her fan. Her nonchalant expression changed, she seemed didn't care with the audiences and completely drowned into the music. Kyouna threw her fan to the air to spins and jumped beautifully before catch her fan back and waved it open. She quickly contort the fan in her hand and shut it before slide it in her obi, she hid her hands under the sleeves and made her last spin. She slowly bowed to the audiences and turned to leave the stage with a rousing applause for her performance._

* * *

_Kyouna was about drank a glass of water given to her from the steering committee when Kushina and Minato walked to her with broad smile on their faces, especially Kushina. _

_"You're look amazing on stage, Kyouna. You have to do another performance next year." Minato praised the girl. _

_"See, I told you. She's amazing." Kushina was beaming, but in a second she turned to scowled and pinched the younger girl's cheek. "Why young girl like you have to spend the night of festival alone?" Kyouna huffed and rubbed her cheek, sent her pout to the adults and looked away in reply. _

_"Every boys and girls in this village spend the festival with their friends, why don't you-"_

_"I don't have any friends here. Besides, it's you who dragged me to perform in this event, ba-chan." Kyouna cut her off. "It's done, now, let me go home and have a nice beautiful sleep, please." _

_She stood and walked to the hokage residence, where were occupied by her uncle, the newest Hokage. The Hokage residence was in the same compound with the Hokage office and the academy administration section. The place near the residence was packed and Kyouna struggled to dodged taller bodies suddenly she bumped with Asuma because the road was too dark and too crowded. Kushina giggled as she saw her niece fell backward, Asuma was taller and bigger than the girl. Bumped with him was same like bumped through the wall._

_"Ops, sorry. I didn't see you coming." The boy grinned, Kurenai poked her face behind Asuma's back and smiled. _

_"We're coming to congratulate you, Yondaime-sama." She commanded the pack to bow to Minato._

_"Arigatou, are you having fun tonight?" The Yondaime asked the group._

_"Of course, the festival was great sensei." Obito exclaimed happily, he was with Rin for this entire festival, nothing made him happier than this._

_"The performances are great too." Gai added._

_"But only one of us seemed didn't enjoy it." Genma smirked at Kakashi, Kushina glanced at the masked boy and quickly scanned all the young shinobi. They're all coupled, and only Kakashi wasn't._

_"Are you guys going to a date?" she asked the children. _

_"It's all his idea." Anko jabbed her elbow to Genma's stomach. "He said it's going to be one of youthful memory for us. I just think he was infected by Gai because contiguous with him almost the rest of his life."_

_"That's not a bad idea." Kushina rubbed her chin. "But it will be perfect if all of you can find a partner right?" She shifted her gaze to a deadpanned Kakashi and scowled Kyouna, they were too smart to know what was running on her mind._

_"No!" the pair snapped in unison and looked each other before huffed and looked away. Kushina's smirk broadened as she saw their reaction._

_"Aw…they're going to make a cute couple, right kids?" she elbowed her husband who scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously to his cranky niece and student. But he won't win against his wife, the red habanero Kushina. _

_"I'll let you have Kyouna for tonight Kakashi." She grinned and shoved the scowling girl to Kakashi, grabbed Minato's arm. "Ah, Kyouna, I locked the house." She wiggled the key and put it in her purse. "So you can't run home, having fun kids. Do not come home too late." She exclaimed and laughed as they walked away from the group, leaving Kyouna with horror look on her face. _

* * *

_Genma was led the group to the stalls and spread with each pair, Kakashi put his hands behind his head as Kyouna grumbled under her breath. Cursing her fate tonight, she glanced at the other couples. They went to food stalls or games stalls happily, like Asuma and Kurenai, or dragged like Genma and Anko. They saw Obito tried his best to impress Rin in shooting game stalls, Shizune brought a lot of gifts because Gai was dragged her to try every games in the festival with his youthful power and gave her all the prizes. They even met Ebisu, Aoba and Raidō were competing to drink their lamune, everyone seemed having fun, except them._

_Kakashi was rather solitary than Kyouna, she's quite but the boy was more quite, the silent between them was too intense. They're just stopped because Kyouna wanted to buy ikayaki and saw various masks displayed on one of the street stalls, mostly were the animal characters similar with ANBU masks she had seen. She stared a wolf mask in deep thought, she's even forgot her broiled squid wasn't touched yet. _

_That mask reminded her to her first summon, a wolf demon who became her only friend. Kakashi shifted his gaze from the girl and the mask, he took and paid for it. He shoved the mask to her without saying any words, Kyouna blinked rapidly before took the mask from his hand. She quickly eat her squid and put the mask on, she turned to the seller to buy a dog mask from him and gave it to Kakashi._

_He stared at the wolf masked girl who nodded to him still holding the mask on her hand, slowly he took the mask and follow her to put the mask on his face. Kakashi turned to search their friends and blinked, they're gone, he had a good guess about this, they're probably gone in purpose to left them alone. He sighed, from the mask's eye holes he stared at the girl who shrugged and walked to bon-bon tsuri booth. _

_There were colorful rubber balloons filled with air and water floated inside the long low table filled with water, she bent down in front of the table and tried to hook a blue balloon and pulled it up. She missed, she tried it again three times and still missed. Kyouna pulled up her mask on her head and turned to Kakashi with a pout on her face. _

_"Can you get that balloon for me?" she asked the older kid who amused himself watched her from the back behind his mask. Kakashi shook his head and made the girl pouted again. "Aw, you're no fun. Come on Kakashi, I'll treat you kakigōri." She begged. _

_Kakashi's eyes softened, the nonchalant girl he knew just looked like another normal girl tonight. She still stern and quite few minutes ago before they're realized the other were gone, maybe she just felt uncomfortable with his friends, he thought. Gai was always loud, Genma was 'bright', Asuma was blunt, Obito was stupid and Anko was hyperactive. For a complex girl with a dim past like her, she was more comfortable with people who already known her to be close. _

_Kakashi bent down beside the girl who grinned and pointed the blue balloon she wanted to catch before, he huffed but still took the hook and catches the stupid balloon for her. Behind the Yakisoba stall, Asuma and Genma grinning wickedly to the pair before walked out to joined their friends. As her promise, Kyouna treated Kakashi kakigōri, a shaved ice, blue Hawaii flavor for him and shirokuma for herself. _

_Kakashi turned his face to eat his ice, he was sitting on the bench waiting for the fireworks launched as the final shows in the festival. However, the place was crammed. Kyouna needed to tiptoei and jumping around to peek from other higher shoulders that blocked the view, she kicked the air and threw her body to the bench, sitting in disappointment. _

_"It's useless, this place is too crowded." Kakashi said and slurped his ice. _

_"I want to see the hanabi, I haven't see it again since I left my homeland." Kyouna looked up to the dark sky above them in dazed. "Otousama always brought me to watch hanabi, as the Kazanshogun we always watched the hanabi from the highest place in the country. On the top of Kazan palace. The view was amazing, the light from lanterns, the stars and the fireworks were pretty." She blinked, snapped from her muse and grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, I just got homesick." _

_Kakashi drank the rest of his ice in silent, he missed his father too. Sakumo always brought him to the festival and put him on his shoulder when the hanabi started so he could watch it freely from his father height. It has been two years since his death but he couldn't forget it. The view of his father dead body frozen huddled before him always haunted him every night, the pain of losing his only family in bitter way from seppuku still hurt him. _

_Kakashi glanced sideways to Kyouna, although their stories were quite different, he knew from Minato that the girl was experienced the same lost with him. She lost his father because he was committed seppuku after losing all his comrades in the samurai war. The leader of Kazan no kuni, one of the great nine samurai nations, died for the pride of the greatness of his troops, his clan and his land._

_"I know a good place to see the hanabi." Kakashi broke the silent, he jumped down and pointed his finger to the Hokage mountain. _

_Kyouna followed his finger and widened her eyes, that was a right place to enjoy the fireworks but how could they reached to the top before the hanabi started. She grimaced at the idea of losing her chance to watched hanabi this year, the boy smirked under his mask as he heard the announcement that the fireworks will started soon. He bent down his body and glanced back to Kyouna from his shoulder. _

_"Hop up, we can reach that place faster." Kyouna bit her low lip in hesitance, Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Come on, you want to watch the hanabi right?"_

_Slowly Kyouna put her arm around his neck and leaned on his back as Kakashi put his hand under her leg to piggyback her. Maybe he was the youngest and smallest chūnin in his generations, but he was strong too, and fortunately, Kyouna was smaller and lighter than he was, so it was easier to carry her. Kakashi jumped to took treetops then rooftops and run on the mountain after molded some chakras under his feet, Kyouna blinked her eyes as she felt the breeze from his back when the boy jumping and running to the mountain. _

_They were landed safely on the top of Hokage mountain right when the first firework launched to the sky with boomed sound and burst into beautiful flames sparks on the dark night, another firework launched as the cheered sounds heard from the village. Kyouna hopped down from his back and ran to the edge of the mountain, she stretched out her hand and stared the sky in awe, she was not even blinked her eyes. _

_The starry night, she was in high and quite place, and the fireworks. The memories of her father came. Kakashi walked and stood beside her, his hands in his pocket staring the same sky in silent, reminded him to his last fireworks two years ago with his father. Without Kyouna realized, the tears fell from her eyes down to her cheek, Kakashi jerked back in surprise when he glanced at her, he was afraid did something bad to the girl. Kyouna wiped her tears with her hand and giggled, but the tears seemed refused to stop and kept falling._

_"Sorry, I got something in my eyes, it's -"she chocked and did not finish her sentence, sobbing in silent. Kakashi let her be and stared the sky, the fireworks still launched from the village. He waited until the girl calmed, this was the first time he saw the girl crying. Since he saw the girl when she was hospitalize after saved by Minato for the very first time, her eyes always looked blank and dead. Slowly she got better when Kushina and Minato took her to lived with them, but none of them or himself saw her crying until right now, right beside him. Slowly Kyouna got calm, she wiped her tears and whispered. "Sorry" _

_"These fireworks remind us to something we don't want to remember." Kakashi sighed heavily and shook his head. _

_"It's not like I want to erase my father from my memories. I want to keep it in my heart as long as I could remember." Kyouna gave him a light smile. "He was my father, I can't change it. As his daughter, I cannot accept his action to commit seppuku. But as a samurai I understand why he did that, it's just still hard for me to forgive him." _

_Kakashi hmmed and turned back to stared the sky. Tonight was not as fun as how his friends spent it, but he did not know why he felt an ease in a crowded place for the first time after losing his father. "Next year, here." He said in a low voice. Kyouna raised her eyebrows in confused at his words. "To watch another firework." Kakashi added and turned his face away, Kyouna slowly pulled her lips to smile and nodded as he saw it from the corner of his eyes._

* * *

**A.N**_  
_

You know i don't own Naruto, and again, sorry for my bad grammar. I hope you like this chapter while I'm struggling with next chapter after renew the plots. Thank you :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kakashi managed to back to his apartment, sober enough to kick his sandals off and took his old albums out of his trunk, he wasn't drunk as Kurenai or Genma tonight. He took the first album and opened it, the album was more likely Naruto's baby pictures album, the pictures were all Naruto's from the first time he taken cared in ANBU, sent to orphanage and finally taken home by Kyouna. He took most of them and the rest was taken by Tenzō, and some of his ANBU partners because Kyouna was able to detect his presence.

He was sent away for a long termed mission to Land of Snow for almost one an half years to investigate the Yukigakure shinobi by the request from its Daimyo, he was suspected someone would arrange coup d'état. Tenzō was his closest _kōhai_ and was known him well enough to volunteered to took their pictures while he was away and sent it to him to kept him calmed knowing his last precious people were fine.

Naruto was three when he left, and Tenzō was not always around them to take pictures, he also often given mission as ANBU so his collections were not complete. He missed most of the pictures of four years old Naruto because from such a condition, Tenzō had stopped taking their picture.

Kakashi flipped the page and running his fingers to a picture of Naruto's fifth birthday, which taken by Tenzō, he was there with his signature crinkle eye, Kyouna was smiling beside him and Naruto grinning happily between the pair stood behind his birthday cake with five candles and five piles of gifts next to it. Another picture was in the same angle but with Sandaime and Tenzō with his cat mask joined with them. That picture was the beginning of a major change in his life.

* * *

**Konoha, seven years ago.**

Kakashi walked upright to the Hokage's office this afternoon, he spent whole morning to finish his mission report right a day after his arrival. He force himself to do it so he will had a completely free week for a break, he planned to spend it with Naruto. He abrought some new toys for him, and if he lucky enough, maybe he could ask Kyouna to cook his favorite meal. Pumped up with the thought he finished the damn report and hurried up to send it to Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen read the report carefully, satisfied with the work of the captain of ANBU in his mission and his quick report, though he already gave the younger man a week to finish it. "_Otsukaresama_, Dog. Nice to see you back save and soundly, you deserve a break. But Kakashi-" The Sandaime leaned forward and hold his hands on his desk, eyeing the ANBU who started to gain his fame in his black ops lately, hesitantly doubt his decision to hold him and wondered what kind reactions he got from him if he broke the news.

He knew Kakashi was been volunteered to joined his friend in taking care of the Fourth's legacy, though he didn't openly tell him. But the report from his ANBU and in fact he watched it from his glass ball by himself when he monitored the kid was showed more than enough. It was true the genius nin was change into a better and friendlier person after losing his comrades in war and adept their personalities in him, but Kakashi was still Kakashi, he would kill anyone who tried to hurt his friends and gave them no mercy if he wanted. Behind his calm demeanor, he could quickly analyze the situation to plan his next action in a short time, and ended with a satisfied works. That's why he was chosen as ANBU captain.

He smoked his pipe, puffed out the smoke before put it away, and pulled out a file as he started to talk, it was his duty to tell the man or this person will go berserk if he let him found the problem by himself. Kakashi was still standing patiently in front of the desk, waiting the old man to talk. His instinct told him something was happen in the village while he was gone.

"I have a good guess about your reason to send this report sooner than I expected, you will give your little friend a visit, right?" Seeing the man nodded, he continued. "It's been one and half years since you gone, many things happened and changed here."

Under his porcelain mask, Kakashi scrunched up his face. His eye gazed hardly to the Hokage from the eyehole as he heard his words. He couldn't helo but thought something bad was happen, specifically to the pair he'd love to meet this soon. Sarutobi examined his reactions carefully.

"Naruto almost five this year, he grew to be an energetic and healthy boy. Now he could read and talk properly and he kept bugging me to let him enrolled the academy this year. You know it since the third shinobi war was over, we decided an older age of kids to enroll the academy. We want to gave them more normal and happy childhood before introduce them to the hard life of shinobi. So I tried my best to convince him to wait and that's not easy."

Kakashi gave a short nod, "I'm sorry, but I found something strange in your explanation, Hokage-sama. Seems like you're now taking charge of Naruto? Where's his guardian? Was something happened to her when I'm gone?"

"Hmm…I think Kyouna was getting better, now."

"Now?" He demanded, Sandaime gave him a paper he's been worked to Kakashi and waited for him to read it.

"She's been hospitalized since two days ago after got injured when she was back from her mission. She was attacked and trapped under a quite strong genjutsu when we found her lay unconsciously near her apartment." The Hokage continued. "Naruto is save, when the incident happened he was founded crying because her shikigami clone suddenly disappeared. Hyūga Hizashi was walk near their place in the dawn when he found her and reported to me after brought her to hospital. Naruto is at my home with Asuma, he had to babysit him after he back from the Daimyo."

Sarutobi got a caught of Kakashi who unconsciously tightening his grip to the paper. "We're still investigating this incident, because it's not happen for the first time. Since a year and half months ago seemed strange incidents befell to them and gotten more dangerous until two days ago. Although we still haven't got the name yet, I suspect the attackers are insider."

Kakashi stiffened, what was he said, an insider was attack them? The Konohan shinobi, of course a perfect place to attack her was in the village, because she prohibited summoning her demons and he sure they were a shinobi who was skilled enough to taken her down. Though she was left her training to raise Naruto, it's still not easy to beat her in combat. Whoever they were, they're too strong for her to handle by herself while she had to fight and kept her chakras to protect the barrier around her apartment and her clone to protect Naruto."When you said that wasn't happen once, what was happened before that?"

Sandaime glanced down and sighed heavily before continued his story. "It was started when she was re-activated to get her mission again, we were agree that Naruto was old enough to left with another caretaker while she off for mission. She still refused a long term mission or a mission that taken place too far from Konoha except she allowed to bring Naruto along which was refused by the council. She couldn't left him with her only shikigami clone for too long because it's hard to keep the clone and the barrier while she was in a great battle that cost a lot of chakras, especially to manage a great seal."

"So she left him in a day care, but as you know, not many of the villagers wanted him here. He's been neglected by the caretaker and got kidnapped. Kyouna back from her mission and panicked when she couldn't find Naruto when she picked him up, she broke the rule and summoned her wolfs demons pack to tracked the boy. Fortunately, he founded not too deep in the forest of death, not injured and sleeping tiredly after crying for too long. No matter the reasons are, the council still didn't like her actions."

"Was he… was he taken from her?" Kakashi hesitantly asked the Hokage, he couldn't imagine that little boy was taken back to the orphanage again after three years he spent with him. Not literally spent whole times but he visited him as much as he could.

Sandaime nodded. "Yes. He was taken from her and put back to orphanage for three months, as her punishment she wasn't allowed to meet him or get any closer to the orphanage, you can guess how was the conditions of Naruto in orphanage right?" the ANBU captain nodded shortly, of course Naruto was neglected, like the first time he's been there before.

"After that incident, once or twice Kurenai and I was able to help her babysit Naruto while she's gone, but when I was too busy and she couldn't find any help, she forced herself to left Naruto with her clone and a very strong barrier to protect him. She almost always founded fainted in exhausted when she back home, that was still much better than any scars she got because she was too weak to dodged the attack."

He dug his drawer and took a thick file out, that was the reports of all the incidents befallen to Naruto and his guardian he's been investigated lately. He offering it to Kakashi, the boy took it and read it carefully one by one. That was a report about incident happened when she had her day off, Kyouna took Naruto to the park and left him to bakery for only ten minutes because Naruto wanted to eat a bread. When she's back, Naruto was pushed off to the ground by a woman who didn't want to see her son played with him.

Kyouna tried to explain when she got slapped and scolded by the woman. The park was crowded enough with the kids and their parents and that woman was too paranoid and loud. She called Naruto demon kid and Kyouna was his underling because she had the power to call demon, she accused her as the cause of the demon fox's attack who killed her husband. Kakashi grimaced at the image of the physiological fighting scene between them on the park.

"She lost her control and hit Naruto but blocked by Kyouna, ANBU came to intercept and found Kyouna was bruised and bleed, but Naruto got traumatized with the incident. She needed almost three months to convince him that she's fine. After that incident, many people openly ignored them, maybe Kyouna was used with the treatments but Naruto still too young. For the effect he started frantic every time she tried to take him out."Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose, these cases were give him headache.

There was also an incident caused by a group of shinobi, chūnin levels, which tried to break the house and kidnapped the boy but were able to intercept by her. Three of them were able to catch and interrogated, they got the order from their boss who got an order from a masked man. All the incidents were happens in the village and almost every time she got the mission, that was clearly the deed of insider who knew she was out off village. The council maybe monitors them, but it was clearly they were not protected. Sarutobi gave another scroll to him, Kakashi put the files and opened the scroll. That was a warning from the council, according to last incident the council will decided to draw her right of Naruto because she was proved couldn't able to protect him although she was already in a proper age to adopt him legally.

"That's come this morning, when the council knew I assigned some ANBU to protect them. They came to me to protest, I shouldn't gave her special treatment because taking Naruto with her was all her responsibilities, she's the one who asked that. They gave me a difficult choices, protect them or took Naruto from her. You're more than know how it'll hurt them, I failed to protect them but I'll think something to work it up. Until it settles, I hope you can help her to take care of Naruto while she's recovering. They'll be glad to see you again."

Kakashi nodded and said after another minute. "That wasn't your fault Hokage-sama, your hands were tied as the leader of this village. I'm sure they will understand."

The old Hokage smiled, he handed the scroll to him. "Thank you, Kakashi. Could you send it to her?"

Kakashi took it and bowed in response."_Hai, ojamashimashita_."He slipped out the window, headed to the Hokage residence.

* * *

**A/N**

**Otsukaresama**: a phrase used to acknowledge someone's efforts and to show your appreciation for work they did.

**Ojamashimashita**: Literally means, "I got in the way" or "excuse me". Often used when leaving someone's home or office.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Naruto.**

This story is still about Kakashi's past, please enjoy :)

* * *

**Chapter 10  
**

**Konoha, seven years ago.**

Kakashi walked through the hallways to the room shown by the chūnin as a place where Naruto was playing with Asuma, his head felt heavy because too much bad news that he received today. His hope to have a fun day with Naruto was gone, he wondered about the boy's and his guardian's condition. Kakashi couldn't help but worried about them especially Naruto, he's still so young to understand. He knocked the door and opened it up slowly after hearing a man voice called him in from inside of the room. There was Asuma sitting crossed leg on the floor, his hands were raise to hold Naruto's punches, the boy was laughing as he punched the older man.

They're stopped laughing and glanced to the new arrival, only Asuma grinning at Kakashi. Naruto was staring suspiciously to Kakashi as he hid behind Asuma's leg when the man stood and greeted his friend. "Yo, Kakashi! Long time no see. Come to pick him up?" Asuma moved a little aside to saw the blonde boy still clinging onto his leg. He chuckled and squatted down to meet him face to face.

_"Doushite_? Are you afraid with him?" Naruto didn't answer but hid his face again. Kakashi felt a stung in his heart, he just left for one and half year but Naruto already forgot him, knowing his friend expressions changed Asuma sighed. He had to do something to the boy. "_Ne_, Naruto. This is Kakashi, you always play with him when you were kid." Slowly Naruto glanced up to see Kakashi. He had vague memories about someone with a mask when he was younger, but he doubted that man was him.

Kakashi squatted down, crinkled his eye, pulling out a picture from his pocket and showed it to him. "I'm your nee-chan's friend Naruto, hora, this is the picture of us when you were three. Remember?" Naruto stared at the picture, that was the same picture he had in home, that masked man looked similar though the one in front of him was a little older.

"Kakashi…san?" Naruto hesitantly asked. Kakashi ruffled his hair and nodded. "I'm back Naruto-kun, you don't have to worry."

The boy grinning as he nodded before his face turned sad and solemnly asked. "How is Nee-chan? She's hurt badly, and I can't do anything to help her." Kakashi stared at him for a long moment, the boy was worried on his guardian.

"Ah, she'll be fine. How about we go and visit her in hospital? But, let's pack your things first." Naruto nodded again and started packing his toys and clothes into his bag while Kakashi watched him from behind. "Thank you for watching him, Asuma." He talked in a low voice.

"Anytime. I'm glad you're back. So, did _oyaji_ tell you about the incidents?" Asuma took his cigarette and light it, Kakashi nodded solemnly. "I wonder who they are, but for now let's protect the boy and your girl first."

"She's not my girl." Kakashi said, a little too quickly and made Asuma snorted.

_"Hai, hai. _Try to keep deny it." He puffed out a smoke. "But you got day off from him right? Naruto always wanted to go to her, I'm running out excuses for him."

They're stop talking when Naruto running to Kakashi with his backpack, ready to go with the adult to visit his sister. He gave Asuma last hug. "_Arigatou_ Asuma-san, let's play again next time. I will punch you hard." The bearded jōnin laughed and fisted Naruto's hair.

"Alright, go and train with Kakashi to beat me."

* * *

Naruto ran and jumped onto the bed to hug Kyouna, landed hard enough on her to make her groaned when Kakashi opened the door of Kyouna's room. He screamed happily and ignored the grimace on her face, Kyouna coughed a little and ruffled Naruto's head with smile after putting him properly on her lap. She glanced at the door and nodded to Kakashi, signaling him to come closer.

"Are you being a good boy with Asuma-san?" She put Naruto's bag down, rested on the back of the bed with a pillow as the base; the blonde boy nodded eagerly and started chattering about his days in Hokage residence and his training punch with Asuma. Kyouna giggled as the boy told her that he didn't like being around Asuma if he lighted his cigarette. "I can't breathe if he turned that small stick thing on nee-chan."

"_Hai, hai_. That stick is called cigarette, Naruto." Still ruffling Naruto's hair Kyouna listened all his stories with smile. Naruto titled his head in thought and asked."Ci-gar?"

"U-huh. But cigar and cigarette are quite different." Kyouna dazed off a little in thought, thinking how to describe the differences to Naruto. Kakashi watched them in silent, seeing how the boy was grown and how his friend changed into so motherly woman in this past year. The girl still had her long hair but not as long as he remember, she looked tired and worn out with bandaged everywhere.

"It's that edible? Asuma-san always bites that." Naruto asked her with his wide blue eyes sparkled with curious. Kyouna chuckled, curiosity of the children around his ages are always cute yet troublesome.

"That's not a food, Naruto."

"Then why Asuma-san loves it so much if it's not edible? Can I try it?" Naruto asked the woman, Kyouna cringed at his request. Like hell, she'll allow her little baby touched that thing, she shook her head made a mental note to ask Kurenai to banned her boyfriend smoking around Naruto. "No, no, no. That's bad, I will not allow you to try. Never!"

Naruto was about to ask her again when the door swung opened, Kurenai entered and surprised a little when she saw Kakashi and Naruto but immediately hid it, she smiled and walked closer. Naruto glanced at her and grinning, he recognized one of his sister friends who took care of him when Kyouna had to go for mission. Kakashi nodded to signaling his friend, as she raised her eyebrows before shifted her gaze to Kyouna who gave her a slight nod.

"Hi, Naruto. I've been looking for you when Asuma said Kakashi already picked you up here." She greeted the little boy and ruffling his hair when she got closer to the bed. "It's lunch time, why don't you come with me? We're going to have ramen." Kurenai winked, mentioning Naruto's favorite food to get his attention. As he heard ramen mentioned, Naruto jumped in excitement but glanced hesitantly to Kyouna. He's not allowed to eat ramen too much.

"But nee-chan said-" Kyouna sighed, what else could she do now. If she's not laying in a hospital, she wouldn't allow him to eat ramen too often no matter how he loved the food.

"It's okay for now, go and eat with Kurenai." Naruto nodded happily and slipped down from the bed to the reddish eye woman. "And be good!" Kyouna reminded him a little too loud before they leave the room. Sighing, she leaning back again and glanced sideways at the man who had been sitting silently beside her bed, watching their interaction with unread expression on his face. "So, when are you come back?"

"Yesterday." He held his hands and resting it on his knees, jerked up his chin to her hand. "That's look bad."

Kyouna snorted and raised her bandaged hand. "_Heki, heki. Daijoubu_. It will heal soon."

"I know about the incidents. Hokage-sama told me everything this morning, when I gave him my report."

"Wow, that's surprising." Kyouna glanced with widened eyes to Kakashi and laughed at his words. "Are you missing him that much? It's not like you to work on the report sooner right after your arrival." However, Kakashi ignored it.

"It's worry me when I found he didn't remember me. I need to show him the picture and Asuma's words to make him trust me."

"Aaa, _gomen_. Actually, he kept asking me about you when he was three, but Weasel-san told him that ANBU who did not return after a long time mission, that he could certainly have been dead. And you're not come more than a year, I bet he thought you're dead." Kyouna grinning sheepishly to the spiked guy whom sighing heavily beside her, and continued. "But it's good to see you back."

"Hokage gave this for you." Kakashi handed the scroll and leaning his back to the chair. Kyouna unscrolled it and began to read, silently Kakashi examined her reaction expecting something surprising or anger, but her flat expressions made him curious. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"_Iie_. It's just, predictable."

"_So dana_. Then, what will you do?"

"I won't giving him up." Kyouna tightening her grip on the blanket and hardening her gaze. "After all this stupid incidents, like hell if I will giving him up to them."

"Hokage-sama said he would make something up for it, but we can't stay doing anything."

"We ?" She blinked. "You mean, me."

"_Ano ne._ You think I'm going to stay still when I see my friend hurts, huh?" Kakashi leaning forward to her, as Kyouna did the same and scowled at him.

"It's my responsibility. You don't have to bother it."

"You're stubborn girl." Kakashi raised his eyebrow in amusement knowing the girl didn't change in personality. He remember his sensei once told him that his niece gotten more like second Kushina to him she occasionally lashed out violently at others if they angered her. But as he adopting his friend's cheerful mannerisms and carefree personality, Kyouna was started to adopting Minato's calm and kind demeanour though she already very level-headed and cheerful person.

"Speak to yourself stubborn spike! You're -" She didn't continue but turned away and folded her arms with huffed. "One and half year gone but your irritating attitude not gone, it's getting worse." She finally said, but Kakashi didn't reply, he hmmed thoughtfully as Kyouna sighed. "You're annoying _baka_ ANBU. I will entrust Naruto to you for awhile."

"Hmm?" Kakashi glanced, suspecting her strange words. Knowing the look of her friend changed, she shrugged.

"I have to stay here for awhile, _baka_. You will babysit him as long as they locked me here. You know the drill right? If you remember how to pissing me off, I guess you're still remember how to taking care of a baby."

* * *

It wasn't the first time in this past months for Naruto to wandering from one caretaker to another, the old man, a pretty woman with red eyes or her boyfriend who loves to smoke, once was an ANBU taking care of him when his sister suddenly gone and showed up with a broken leg. But this man was different, that's true he didn't remember him at first but after saw their similar picture of them and heard his sister explanation about him, this man seemed reliable. At least, his sister trusted him.

Naruto tailing him to Kakashi's apartment, obeying his sister orders to stay with this man while she still hospitalized. He stayed at Kakashi's side the entire time and hid himself as much as he could under his jacket hood. That made Kakashi realized that Hokage was right about the hatred looks the villagers directed towards the boy, they also muttered something bad about him and his guardian, the demon woman.

He felt bitter, Kyouna already got her own hard times when she was a kid as the outsiders and strange girl with a weird power, but Naruto too? Now he understood why that girl didn't want to giving him up, with her at his side the boy still not save.

"Is this your place, Kakashi-san?" Naruto questions snapped him back from his muse, they already stood in front of his apartment.

"Ah." Kakashi said as he walked up to unlock the door and opened it. "This is my place." The boy looked around the small room, his place was bigger than this but nee-chan didn't allow him to back at that place without her.

_"Ne, _Kakashi-san." Naruto turned after put his bag down. "Did you put any barrier here?"

"Huh?"

"Etoo…nee-chan always put something around our place, she said it called barrier and she put it to protect me." Naruto face broke into pout. "But I can't go anywhere after she put it." Kakashi couldn't held his laugh, that barrier freak woman.

"Maa…maa, she did that for your good, Naruto."

"I understand." Naruto rolled his eyes, before turned away from Kakashi and muttered sadly. "I just hate it when she got hurt every time to protect me."

Kakashi's eyes softened, he squatted down and ruffled Naruto's spiky hair. "_Daijoubu_. She's a strong woman. She'll get better soon. Now, what do you want to eat for dinner, Naruto?"

"Ramen!" Naruto chirped happily, Kakashi scratched his head. That was true ramen was his favorite food, but he already eat that for lunch. Kyouna would kill him if he dared to feed the boy ramen again.

"Maa…you know how fierce was your sister right?" Naruto nodded as Kakashi continued. "She'll kill me if I give you ramen for food again, Naruto." The boy blinked and laughed.

"So, what's for dinner?"

"Um...I don't know. What did you always have for dinner?"

"Nee-chan always cooks different meal, last time I had Tonjiru for dinner. Can you cook it?" he asked the older man with pleading eyes. Still scratching his hair Kakashi thought something.

"Well, is miso soup okay?" he asked with nervous laughed, Naruto deadpanned at him then shrugged.

* * *

Kakashi started to pulling out foods from fridge and cuts them into pieces as Naruto settled himself at table, watching him cooking the dinner.

"I will love to see nee-chan beat you up, Kakashi-san." Naruto wiggled his feet under the table. "I want to see her fighting again." Kakashi glanced back from his pot.

"Have you seen her fight?"

"Ah! She beat some ninjas who tried to broke the house. Nee-chan was awesome." Kakashi hmmed as he listened to Naruto's story while he stirred the soup. "I want her to teach me, but she refused." The boy pouted again.

"Why?" Kakashi glanced sideway when he set the table, he guessed maybe Kyouna thought Naruto was still too young for any martial art, especially swordsmanship.

"She said, I'm not suitable for her samurai or _yokai taijiya_ style." The little boy's face scrunched up as he tried to remember. "Um…she said I was born to be a shinobi, not like her." Behind his mask, Kakashi smiled slightly as he saw Naruto started to eat and began eating his own food. But after one bite he stopped eating. "Kakashi-san." Naruto's face turned blue. "Your miso is _mazui_."

* * *

After been hospitalized for three more days, finally they released Kyouna. She picked Naruto back to their place and left Kakashi to play with Naruto in the park that afternoon. Naruto was left alone because Kakashi was gone to buy a bread when some kids older than him came and bullied him.

"You're stupid orphan! You shouldn't be here!" the tallest boy pushed Naruto.

"Yeah, no one wants you here in Konoha. Be gone!" Kakashi clenched his fist, he restrained himself to not smash those brats out. They're mere civilians, ANBU shouldn't crushed them.

"Orpan?" Naruto asked in bewilderment, his voice squeaking. He was afraid with them.

"That's mean you have no mummy and daddy, idiot!"

"I have nee-chan."

"Still you haven't any parent who takes care of you, you have no mummy who cook for you or daddy who play with you, idiot!"

"Nee-chan cooks for me, and Kakashi-san play with me. He come to-"

"They're not your parent!" The fattest kid cut off and kicked him in his stomach. Naruto startled, he huddled and started crying, he felt sick and began spewing his lunch over his t-shirt.

"No one likes you, monster!" Another boy swung his bat club over the kid. Enough ! Kakashi couldn't see any more damage to the boy, he jumped and held the hit. With a growl behind his mask, he snatched the club and broke it. The boys eyes looked terrified and ran, He picked the still crying Naruto and went home. The kid sobbed when they arrived, Kyouna was busy in the kitchen when the sobbing boy ran and threw himself to her leg.

"Naruto?" She squatted down to reach the boy, and frowned when she found the boy's cloth were dirty and smelly. "What happened to you? Hmm?" Kyouna tried to asked him in a soft tone, ignoring her own mental growled to anyone or anything that caused the mess to her little boy. Naruto rubbed the tears away with the back of his hand.

"I feel sick, I threw ma lunch." He said between his sobs, Kyouna scrunched her nose.

"Are you dizzy or something?" The boy shook his head, he touched his stomach.

"It's hurt."

She scooped the boy and brought him to his room to change, she turned to the ANBU and said "Watch the food, while I changing his clothes." Her eyes narrowed when she saw a bruise in Naruto's stomach, she remembered that wasn't there this morning when she bathed him, gently she placed her hand to his bruise.

"Is it hurt?" The boy nodded slowly, "How did you get this?" she asked the boy. Naruto mimicked the kick movement to answer her.

"Kick me."

That was enough to telling her what was really happened to the boy, she promise to kick that stupid ANBU for his failing in his first mission assigned to protect them. First she need to medicate the boy, but hesitated to bring him to hospital. Last time they went there, it didn't end up well, that's why she decided to improve her medical skills. She didn't trust the doctor to give her little brother any medicine, she couldn't make sure that was a medicine or poison to get rid of him.

Slowly she mold her chakra in her hand and examined the bruise on his stomach, Naruto watched his sister in silent, he didn't dare to disturb his sister serious look. After a quick check, Kyouna sighed, nothing serious damaged in his body.

"Nee-chan." Naruto soft voice caught her attention, she raised her head and hmmed. "They said nee-chan is not my mother. And they called me monster."

"Don't listen to them."

"But, but in my books every children have their mother who loves them and always cook for them." Naruto hesitantly continued his words. "Nee-chan love me right? And you always cook for me, stay with me. That's mean you're my mother right?"

She bit another sigh, this conversation again. After he could speak his first word, Kyouna always taught him to call her nee-chan. She couldn't call herself as his mother because she wasn't, and everytime Naruto came with the same topic according his mother or father she always could to avoid it with same excuse. But she wasn't sure it's going to work again.

"I do love you, Naruto. Like all mothers did to their sons. We are we, don't bother to listen them okay? Doesn't nee-chan love you is enough? You love me too, don't you?"

Kyouna playfully nudged his chin and smile, tried to hide her worry with his reaction, but Naruto nodded and smiled to her. Kyouna put a clean t-shirt and short to Naruto and brought him to kitchen, where the ANBU frowned at her unfinished cook. The stove was off and her vegetables chopped neatly into small pieces.

"Kakashi," the ANBU turned to her. "Can you hold him as I continue to cook?" She handed Naruto to the man and back to her housework. Kakashi nodded and took Naruto.

* * *

"What exactly happened to him?" She asked in cracked voice, the blonde boy now asleep in his room after forced to eat his dinner and took his medicine, seemed the medicine already started to work.

"That's about…today there were some boys in the park, he's been bullied again. They kept talk about parent and the village's grudge to him. They even dare to call him monster."

"What?!" She exclaimed. "_Kuso_! It's happen again." Kyouna shook her head, gave another looked to the boy's room. After put Naruto on his bed she walked to living room with Kakashi behind. Leaned her head on the table and she sighed heavily, still muttering something.

"Does it happen regularly?" Kakashi took a seat beside her, this is his first time brought Naruto to the park and ended with another problem, she hmmed.

"That's why I never took him to the park, too risky. Last time we there they bullied him, I ran to him and ended up get hit by the adult. Che. If I'm not a miko I'll hit that crazy woman back." she grunted angrily to her memory. "Naruto never asked about his mother or why there's no one wants him around before, no matter how worse he got bullied by. However, he grown up now, I know that bad surrounding with these negative things will affect him. But I can't take him out from Konoha, Minato-jichan wanted him to be a hero in this village. So I think we should endure it, even I don't know how long." The Miko sighed heavily "This will be the hardest parenting time for me."

"You can't hold him forever, he needs to getting around with other people. No wonder social issues will affect him."

"That wasn't social issues. That's the villagers moral issues. Why people couldn't hold the grudge and start to blame him? He's innocent!" she banged her head and started cursing. "I know it's so wrong, but I love him as my own son. He's the only family I have, though I'm not his biological mother, I wasn't the one who gave him birth. I know it's not fair for Kushina-bachan if I let myself being called as his mother, only to make him having someone who called mother."

"Moreover, what will be the worse than 17 years old girl, a Miko, an outsider, being a single mother of what they called with monster. They even Ignoring the fact that I'm the Yondaime 's niece. Although I don't want to see him suffered, I can't do anything with the stupid villagers because of this stupid moral code and the rule of not attacking any civilians. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

"What will you do then?" Kakashi leaned his back to the wall. "He'll be fine tomorrow."

"And make another fuss about the same thing next week, next month, every time he wondering why he didn't have parent or after he got bullied again? He's smart, Kakashi. He's grown and been hurts for too long." she sighed. "And I'm stuck with the same answer, then the same fight."

"Why don't we go and report to Hokage? It's only been a day after you leaving the hospital, yet another accident happen again." Kakashi stood and summoned the ninkens. "The pack will watch him."

"Yo Kakashi!" Pakkun saluted. "Do you need something?"

"Can you watch the house, and Naruto, he's sleeping now. We need to go to see Hokage?" Kakashi glanced to the girl. Kyouna look hesitated but finally nodded, she couldn't help but think about the warning she got from the council when she's still in hospital.

"Ah, leave it to us! You guys just go." The pack scattered around the living room. Kyouna followed the ANBU and walked out the apartment, after checking Naruto's room for the last time and considered to leave her shikigami with them.

* * *

Sarutobi gritted the pipe after he heard Kakashi's report about Naruto's newest accident, it happened again, he saw the hopeless look of the young Miko who stood in silent beside Kakashi. It's start to getting harder for her. He knew she loved the boy so much, since he's the only family she had left after her uncle and aunty dead.

The Hokage shared a look with his ANBU man, Naruto needed more that a guardian, although Kyouna was care him and made him refers her as his mother figures she won't always been ready to face the trouble. She could fight as a Yokai taijiya and Samurai. She could protect him with her incredible barrier arounds him. But Naruto born to be a ninja, and the girl know less about ninja, moreover he possessed the Kyūbi. And lately the council decided to revoke her adoption rights because they thought she wasn't strong enough to protect the boy.

It wasn't a wise decision to took him from Kyouna to orphanage or another caretaker while he have his own blood related family with him. The girl showed a good managing for raised the boy since he was a baby, did her missions and learnt until those incidents happened. However, she couldn't do the parenting alone, he was busy as Hokage and his hand were tied. Gave him to Kakashi was the second options. He also the closest to the family for him, he was Minato's student, he loves his teacher and cared about Naruto. Again, Kakashi doesn't familiar with how to raise a kid, both of them are same.

"Took your ANBU mask off Kakashi." Sarutobi ordered, he sighed heavily. "I think this is the right time for us to discuss the plan that I've been worked for awhile after received the warning from the council. You know they will revoke your adoption rights because they thought you're not capable to protect him and let the incidents happened. I already gathered a private meeting with them and got the idea that if you offer another protection they will consider about it. So, I will assign Kakashi to do doubled your jobs as ANBU and a Jōnin. You will do the same chores like other jōnin and still take ANBU missions while watched Kyouna and Naruto."

"What do you mean, Hokage-sama? Didn't you told me that you couldn't assign any special protection from any ANBU?" Kakashi brows narrowed as he took his mask off and put it into his pouch.

"Yes, and that's why you will introduce to Naruto as his father."

"Wait. His father?" Kyouna's eyes widened in shock.

"Ah, he wanted to you as his mother right? Because you're a Miko you couldn't be a mother without a husband. So, Kakashi will filled that position. Both of you will adopt him as your son, and that means an offer of protection for him to the councils."

"What?!" The pair shouted in unison.

"We're not even a couple, isn't it better for Kyouna to adopt him herself like she's already been?"

"What should I tell to Naruto that Kakashi, uh, my...err…should I made any other lies for him? Don't make this troublesome condition worse, Hokage-sama. Just don't, I can't think anymore lies to hurt him in the end. It's..." Kyouna put her hand on her face "It's killing me."

"That's why I made this plan, both of you will get married and being a legitimate couple so can legally adopt him as your son. So Naruto won't taken away from you and with Kakashi as your husband, both of you will saved. No hard feeling with your abilities, Kyouna, but you know the law."

"I can't!" Kyouna almost cried. "I just can't Hokage-sama, I can't marry him. It's because my oath, I swore to not getting married before twenty for serve the shrine and community."

"How old are you now?" Sarutobi asked. Kyouna rolled her eyes. "Seventeen, sir."

"How could you ended up with that kind of plan, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi rubbed his temple.

"Hmm. First, both of you are the closest family to him, Kyouna is his cousin and you're his father's former student. Second, both of you are closed enough. You've been friend since you were kid. The most important thing is you care about Naruto. I can't find any more suitable pair than you as his father." He waited for the pair responds, but they remain quite.

"Well, my plan is both of you will start dating, and planned to get married but because the Miko's oath you decided to engaged and moved to Kakashi's place. Because three of you need to get used as a family."

"So, no marriage?" Kakashi hopefully asked his superior.

"Of course you will, when Kyouna reached twenty."

Kakashi froze, family is a word that hard for him to understand. His mother dead in a very young age, his father was dead when he was eight, his comrades - the only friends that he used to care- were dead, his sensei also dead along with his wife. Left their son being the container of Kyūbi and a Miko niece behind. He never know of woman role in his life nor raise a kid and now he have to settle down, make his own version of family with this girl.

He knew that Kyouna is as confuse as him in this kind of family matter, although she had a complete family who love her. She's also been alone since she was 6, live in another village to be trained then picked up to moved to Konoha but ended seeing her mother died before her own eyes not event they reached Konoha. She's been took cared by his sensei's family for only four years before they left her alone again with the infant who she's insisted to cared five years ago.

He's been watched her since his sensei's introduce them and asked him to teach her because of his business as Hokage, and after the funeral when he decided to join ANBU. If they were a normal civilians, he knew that he won't refuse if he's been asked to date and marry her. She'll be a good wife, but yet, they weren't a normal civilian. She's a Miko and he's an elite ninja. They have their own way of life. Kakashi knew Kyouna will think the same as his. Even assassinate the Daimyo feels easier than this._ Sensei…what should I do now?_

"Hokage-sama, I'm far from ready to be a husband and father." Kakashi insisted.

"Do you think she's ready?" Sarutobi nodded to the stunned Miko. "You're nineteen and she's seventeen. It's a fine age to start to look for partner."

"You didn't even ask my opinion, Hokage-sama." Kakashi grumbled.

"Do you have any better idea? You've been watched them for a long time don't you? You've seen many things can threaten them, not only for Kyouna but Naruto. Your sensei's son, don't you care about him? You've seen being a single parent wasn't easy, Kyouna have her own limit and she wasn't a ninja who could help him when Naruto took his ninja life. They need you, there's always a thing that she couldn't teach or do for him, which is you could and vice versa."

"You can't decide it by yourself Hokage-sama." The girl raised her head "You need my shrine permission for that, beside you only have permission to get me took any yokai and ghost mission depend on request. Not more, they accepted my wish to took Naruto because we're related by blood and their respect for my parent. Your plan won't easily accepted."

"I'll get it, but I think your grandpa won't mind to see his beautiful granddaughter will settle down with a fine young ninja. If you didn't have any oath I'm sure he will allow you to marry him, since you two already know each other from kid."

There's a huge silent between them, Sarutobi took another sip of his tea and gave the youngster some time to think about the plan he made just now. He knew sooner or later the boy will wondering about his family, the villager hatred towards him only one of the millions factors to brought the topic. This pair is the most suitable parent for him, only the gap between their ages and Naruto that made a problem. If only Naruto born a little later, Kyouna will be 20 and Kakashi 22, a proper age for newlywed. The young Miko closed her eyes, seemed in her own battle between her guilt to Kushina and her love for Naruto, the Miko oath also make it worse. She muttered something before she spoke.

"It's very hard to decide Hokage-sama, but…but if Kakashi agree with the plan, we need to make it as close to real as possible. Naruto's smart, he can feel the emotion from people eyes." Hokage smiled as he heard it.

"So you're agreeing with it?" He asked again just to make sure, Kyouna sighed before slowly nodded her head.

"I've raise him and you got some point about my lacking issue. I can't think another plan to made him more saved and loved. As his family I agree, if it's with Kakashi, I'm sure I'll be fine." She cracked a weak smiled and added. "We'll be fine."

Kakashi looked at the girl in marvel, Hokage was right about they're been known each other since they're kid. But it didn't change the fact that they weren't that closed, and she seemed to have a faith in him. He sighed heavily, deep down he couldn't afford to see another threat to them, specifically to the boy, but marriage, he never thought about it. As a shinobi, they didn't guarantee a long life no matter how strong they were, and he understood it all after seeing his strong ninja around him were dead, like his father and Minato sensei.

"Fine." He whispered.

Sarutobi smiled in relief to see the pair agreement. "Kakashi, you didn't sell you family house, right?" The young man nodded. "Can we used your house? That place is on the outskirts of village, more important, it's large enough for a small family. Is it okay Kakashi?"

"Ah, so we don't need to sell the apartment to buy a new house." He said after tried to remember his family house condition, he never saw it again after the death of his father and left it to his apartment.

"Good, I'll arrange your documents and a meeting with the council about it. I'll inform you later but make sure both of you already act like a normal lovers when we held the meeting. I'll leave it to you about the rest."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Mazui** : Informal term that refers to something that taste terrible or something that sucks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**(Still) Konoha, seven years ago.**

Kakashi woke up the next morning with headache, last night after walked Kyouna home and released his pack. He went to drink alone, normally Kurenai will looked around the bar with Asuma. However, all his friends were on mission, that was good because he couldn't babbled out about their plan, it should be top secret. _What have I get myself into?_ Agreeing the Hokage's plan to protect his sensei's son and his childhood friend. I've gotten lose my mind, but she had faith on me. For someone who hardly trusted another because the bitter experiences, having a trust of her was priceless.

_"If it's with Kakashi, I'm sure we'll be fine."_ Her words rang in the back of his mind, made him reminiscing their meeting last night. She looked hopeless and tired with all the events, debating between pros and cons to take the Sandaime's plan. All they did was because they cared for Naruto. Kakashi rubbed his face and groaned, decided to finished his business and back to his morning ritual in memorial stone before having another meeting with Kyouna. He haven't visit that place since he back from the mission. Skipping his breakfast, he took rooftops to cemetery sites and found himself stood an hours brooding his past and reported his present news.

"Sensei, I don't know how to say this to you, but I'm going to marry your niece, for the sake of your son of course. Please tell Kushina-san, thanks to her attempt to match us, I start to get use with her. You're right sensei, she's like second Kushina-san, and don't worry, I'll protect them with my life."

Kakashi's finger trailed on Obito's name. "Hey,crybaby. I bet you're laughing at me there, marriage, being a husband and a father of a five old year boy doesn't suit me huh? I'm a killing machine, not a daddy type. But she's my friend, and he's our sensei's said those who abandoned their friends, are worse than scum. I can't abandon them right? I won't let my self fail again this time."

He took a step back, and before leaving the memorial stone he gave his last glance. _You'll watch over us, right? Sensei, Obito. _

* * *

It was 10 o'clock in the morning when Kakashi found himself standing in front of Kyouna's door, hesitantly raised his hand to rang the bell when he felt Naruto presence ran to the door. The boy opened it and screamed back to his sister from the genkan. "You're right nee-chan. It's Kakashi-san!"

Kakashi ruffling his hair and smiled. "Yo! You look happy Naruto-kun."

"Of course, October will coming, and it's gonna be my birthday." Naruto exclaimed happily. "Nee-chan will bake me a cake and everyone will come to the party like last year." He stared at Kakashi for a moment. "You will come too, right Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi walked in and closed the door behind him before nodded to Naruto. "I will. Nah Naruto, where is your sister?"

Naruto face scrunched up. "She's in her room, she looked bad Kakashi-san. Is she hurt again?"

Kakashi's eyebrow narrowed, last night she was fine. Naruto walked to the hallways and stopped to knock the door of Kyouna's room that Kakashi remembered as his sensei's ex-room. After the fifth knocks it finally opened, Naruto glanced up at his guardian anxiously. Kyouna looked pale, her hair fell down and a bit messed.

"Are you crying, nee-chan?" Naruto hugged her legs and stared at her sadly, the girl bent down to picked him up. Kakashi saw a sparks of tears on the corner of her eyes before she wiped it out and smiled.

"_Iie._ I'm fine." Kyouna carried Naruto and glanced at Kakashi. "You're late, brooding time again, huh?" Kakashi shrugged but tailing her to living room. After putting naruto back to his book, she stared back at him.

"I was skipping my breakfast, do you have something for me to eat?" He smiled sheepishly just to make the girl rolled her eyes, she signaling him to follow her to kitchen. As she started to dig the fridge, Kakashi leaning his back against the wall near her.

"So, why are you crying?" Kakashi stared Kyouna's back and saw her body tensed, she stopped cutting for a moment and shrugged. Tossing vegetables into the stirfry pan in silent. "You know, it's going to be harder if you don't trust me, Kyouna."

"I do trust you, didn't I told you yesterday? I have faith in you." She put the stirfry on the plate and served it to him with a bowl of steamed rice. "I just feel a bit emotional."

"About what?" Kakashi took his chopstick and started to eat, as Kyouna took a glass and filled it with water. "_Itadakimasu_."

"Naruto." She walked slowly to hallways and peeked at him, seeing the boy still playing with his coloring book she back to kitchen and saw Kakashi already finished his food. "I feel bad about our plan."

"We did it for him." the Jōnin took the dishes and washed it, Kyouna leaning up against the arch still starring at the hallways. "So, did you come up with the idea how to re-introduce me to him?"

The girl glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. "Unfortunately, after having hard time to sleep last night, I don't have any idea about that." She pushing herself off the arch and talked in small voice. "Why don't we leave it to him? One day he'll ask what's going on, for now just try to get closer to him. And, uhm…try to stay here for one or two nights. I'm sure he'll question me about you." Kyouna peered at him with a slight flush on her face before hurried added and looked away. "Of course you will sleep in living room."

Kakashi chuckled and wiped his hand with kitchen towel. "You didn't invite many guests, right?"

"Other than Hokage, Asuma and Kurenai? Of course not." Kyouna folded her arms and glared. "Except your _k__ō__hai_, Cat-san counted. He comes sometimes but always hidden himself perfectly, except in Naruto's birthday."

"Ah, speaking of his birthday. Naruto invite me to his upcoming birthday. He expected something fun like cake." Kakashi smirked when he saw Kyouna groaned.

Every October 10th the boy always made her worked hard to prepare his birthday, though the guests were always be his sister acquaintances and adults, but the number of them were increased each year. Asuma said last year Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame came and gave Naruto free ramen coupons for his gift. Kyouna had to hide it or Naruto would demand his ramen for every meals. "So, who will be invited to the party this year?"

Kyouna rolled her eyes. "As usual, the Hokage, Cat-san, Kurenai, Asuma, Teuchi-san, Ayame-san, and you." She pointed her finger. "And of course you will stay here to help me prepare everything."

"Such as?" Kakashi asked her suspiciously, his visible eye narrowed.

"Cleaning the house, setting up the room, groceries shopping, and others. Don't worry, I won't let you touch the kitchen. Last time you cook for Naruto, he got food poisioning."

"That was only too salty." Kakashi defended at her insult.

Kyouna snorted and stuck out her tongue. "Hah, you will ban from my kitchen and that's final. I don't want to kill my guests." She walked to living room with laugh. Sat down beside Naruto and helped him choosing the colors. The boy grinning at her and start chattered about his drawing, Kakashi watched the pair with warm look and took out his camera to take the picture.

* * *

It's been five days since Kakashi and Kyouna agreed into their arranged marriage and started dating. In their version of dating was babysit Naruto, Kakashi was start to train Naruto because the boy wanted to punch Asuma in his birthday while Kyouna was gotten busy in her meeting with Hokage to discuss about the shrine building plan and others, so she often left Naruto with Kakashi at home. And it was bring him closer with Naruto, the boy accepted him as Kyouna's best friend who was help her raised him since he was a baby.

However, it's just strange to see this man wandered around the house and stayed in their place although Kyouna wasn't going anywhere. Naruto knew his sister never allowed another man like Cat-san or Asuma-san to stay overnight if she was home, although they could sleep in the living room liked Kakashi did. She gave him spare futon and let him sleep in their living room. Once he was stay in Kurenai's place, Asuma-san stayed with them. He said that because he was Kurenai special friend. Does it mean Kakashi-san was her special friend too?

Since Kakashi spent the times with them, Naruto recognized that his nee-chan looked more relaxed and happier, there were no bad guys who tried to hurt them again. Most importantly, Naruto never left alone again when his sister had to go because Sandaime jii-chan asked her to. He will stay at home with Kakashi-san and play with his ninken, just like tonight. Kyouna had another meeting with Hokage since afternoon and haven't back yet, she left Kakashi with Naruto after giving the jōnin instruction to reheat the meal she's been cooked before. Now they're playing in living room after Naruto had his dinner and his lesson time with Kakashi.

"Kakashi-san." Naruto struggling to free himself from Shiba and Urushi's attack, they've been playing rolling around living room while the man watched them over his book. "Can I ask you something?"

Kakashi lowered his book. "Hmm?"

"Nee-chan never allowed any men to stay, but you've been stay here lately." That's not a question, but Kakashi knew what's running in the boy's mind.

"Why?"

Naruto shrugged and pushed Shiba face from him. "I don't know, she said she didn't trust any men." That was making Kakashi chocked and laugh, newest information about his soon to be wife. "But you're a man too, why did she allow you to stay?" Naruto's blue eyes fixed on him, Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought.

"Maa, Naruto. Do you like me?" The boy titled his head.

"Um…I like your dogs, I think I like you too."

"You think?"

"Uh-huh, since you come no more bad guys coming, and I never left alone. Although your cooks are bad, I think you're a good man. Nee-chan was laughing a lot too." Naruto raised his head and grinning to him. "Yep. I like you, Kakashi-san."

"So, do you want me to stay around or not?" Naruto scrunched his face, with this man around he didn't feel alone, his nee-chan wasn't hurt anymore. This place was crammed with extra futon spreaded on living room, but it's nice to have another person to eat with. Slowly he nodded his head.

"Will you stay with us, Kakashi-san?" He hesitantly asked, Kakashi gave him his signature smile and nod. "You promise right, and you shouldn't go back your words, ne?" Naruto stared at him with wide eyes.

"Ooh, you're bonding very well." Kyouna suddenly already stood on the doorway, smirking to the pair. Naruto nodded to her politely, that's very unsual for Naruto not to greet Kyouna and hug her when she arrived. Kakashi winced at the sight.

"Shikigami-san. Why didn't nee-chan back home?" Kakashi closed his book, so, it's her shikigami clone. Naruto's getting better to recognize her clone than himself, of course the boy seen the differences for years. The clone nodded at them.

"She wouldn't back until tomorrow, she asked me to prepare your food so you could eat it tomorrow."

Naruto looked disappointed. "Where is she?"

"She go to Mask Storage Temple, don't worry, she's with ANBU." The clone walked to kitchen and started digging the fridge. Kakashi examined her silently before averted his gaze towards Naruto direction, he back to pat Shiba solemnly.

"Are you okay Naruto?" the blonde glanced back to him over his shoulder and asked back.

"Is Mask temple far from here?"

"Hmm…it's hidden in outskirt of village. Why did you ask?"

"Shikigami-san's face looked scary, it means nee-chan is in hard mission." Naruto patting Shiba's head as he continued. "Nee-chan always had that look everytime she got a hard mission, and then she'll back with bruises and bandaged."

Feeling bad because asking the boy, Kakashi squatted down and rufled Naruto's head. "Don't worry Naruto, she's with ANBU. They're strong, she'll be fine, now why don't you brush your teeth and change? It's already time to bed."

* * *

Naruto already brushed his teeth and dressed up in his pajamas when Kakashi came to his room to check him. As he waited Naruto to sleep, Kakashi examined the room. It's not change that much, only the crib was gone into a single bed, Kyouna was put them away into the storage room. There's a bookcase filled with children books and a toy box in the corner to put his toys. Naruto was sitting crossed legged on his bed and staring out the window.

"Kakashi-san, you're nee-chan friend right?" He asked the jōnin who took a sit on his bed. "Why is nee-chan didn't want to be called mother? She's the one who raised me, _ne_? Is it because she's too young to become a mother?"

"Naruto, do you know what your nee-chan's job is?"

"She said she's part time _yokai taijiya_, full time Miko and uhm…_onna_ something."

"Onna bugeisha, she's an aristocrat warrior. She couldn't be a mother that easily."

"If she quit the jobs, she can be my mother?" Kakashi chuckled at the logic of almost five year boy seemed to have. "But every child in the village always have their mother and father together with them, nee-chan always with me, doesn't mean she's my mother?"

"It's not like that, Naruto. She's practically a mother figure to you, but the main reason why she didn't allow you to call her like that is because she's a Miko. Miko should be a maiden and they're very respected because of that."

"Why doesn't she quit being a Miko?"

"She just couldn't Naruto, that wasn't a kind of job like samurai, shinobi that could retired easily as she wanted. That's a lifetime job."

"So, she just didn't love me?"

"She loves you so much Naruto."

"Then, why?"

"How did I put this, well, um…" Kakashi tapping his chin in thought."Because the moral issue she couldn't be your mother alone. Except, she's marrying someone."

"Marry? Someone?" Naruto titled his head in confuse.

"Listen Naruto, you know every children have their mother and father right?" Naruto nodded. "Your nee-chan couldn't be a mother because there's no father figure for you. To be a mother she needed a man to marry with, then he'll become your father. Understand?"

"A little." Naruto's face scrunched up, tried to process the informations. "Um, so, we need to find a man for her right? Then she'll be my mother, and I will have a father too, like other children right?" he exclaimed confidently, Kakashi suddenly chocked and coughing in surprise. As he stopped coughing, he saw the change on Naruto's face.

"_Doushite_, Naruto?"

"Um…I wonder what kind of man we should find. Jii-chan is too old, Teuchi-ossan too. Asuma-san? Ugh. He smelled like a smoke." His eyes stared the ceiling in thought. "Maybe cat-san could work!" Naruto tapped his hand happily before he turned confuse in another second. "But he wears that mask a lot, I don't know what he looked alike."

Kakashi snickered, holding a hand to his mouth and trying not to laugh at Naruto's word, he couldn't imagine any men will matched with that scary woman. She might be calm and elegant but she'll completely scary if she gone mad. He wondered how Minato handled two scary women in his place. Naruto watched his babysitter couriously.

"Is there something funny, Kakashi-san?"

"Oh, _Iie._ I just…ehm, nothing." He snickered again. "Are there any other men you knew beside them?"

"Nope." Naruto shook his head. "Nee-chan never closed with any men. Ah, but there were one with senbon and a green man. He's really weird."

"Really?"

"That green man was so loud so nee-chan kicked him. No, I don't want him as my father." Naruto folded his arm and pouted, he couldn't imagine how his life turned to be if his nee-chan married the green loud monster. He will not have any peaceful days again, he glanced back to Kakashi.

"Ne, Kakashi-san, what kind of man should we choose?"

"What kind? Maa…I don't know." Kakashi shrugged, he didn't know what type of man that girl like. He never bothered to ask. "But mostly woman and man married because they love each other."

"Eh? Then it's hard."

"Why?"

"I don't like it if nee-chan will love another man than me, she'll forget me." Naruto narrowing his eyes in deep thought. "Nah. I'm going to marry nee-chan!" Kakashi's eye widenend before he burst in laugh.

"You're too young for her Naruto." He held his head, still laughing aloud. "Besides, if you marry her, she couldn't be your mother. Which one do you want? "

"Aargh. It's confusing!" He fisted his own hair in frustration, Kakashi laughed beside him. This conversation was too much for the boy. "_Ne_, Kakashi-san. Why don't you just marry nee-chan?"

"Why me?" Kakashi titling his head and hide a smirk.

"_Etoo…_" Naruto twiddling his fingers and continue. "Because you're nee-chan best friend, and you're the only man she's been allowed to stay here. I don't know how's your face too but I think it's okay. You're a good man and have ninken to play with."

Kakashi gave a small laugh and ruffled his hair. "We will talk later, it's already pass your bedtime. Go and sleep Naruto." He tucked him to bed, turning off the lamp and a soft smile stole across his face before he closed the door.

* * *

**A/N**

To Wulan-chan. _Hai, arigatou_. Good luck for your exam :) I hope you will enjoy the upcoming chapters after your exams


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**A/N.** I'm sorry for a late update, besides my internet connection was bad in this few week i took some times to finally decide to cut the flashback. I plan to put them in separate stories,phew i already arranged the plots, but for now let's back to present ;) Well, as usual, I don't own Naruto, it's belong to Kishimoto.

* * *

Kakashi blinked his eyes lazily and stared his ceiling, he got a dream of his past again last night. Their plan about arranged marriage for Naruto's sake that never happened, he failed again, he failed to protect his friend and made her like that. He couldn't save her or Naruto, rather to tell the truth to his student he hid himself away and act as a normal jōnin instructor to him. Nothing wrong with breaking the rule to protect the boy, Kyouna did it too.

Naruto might be forgetting him but it's not wrong to start over, if only he have some of her stubborn side to rebel the council. _If only,_ he rubbed his face. He's a coward, a pathetic coward who always broke his promise and kept running away, he's not a true shinobi like he always wanted to be. He's a trash.

Sighing Kakashi rolled out from his bed, at least he have to finish his work today and then go to visit Kyouna again in hospital, he wished that woman will awake today. He couldn't buy it if she got coma again because she hit her head when they were training a day ago. He will lose her again, like his former teammates and Minato, she was one of his closest childhood friends. Moreover, she shared the same pain with him and even not much, she had her own place in his life, like Gai. Kakashi cringed, no, she had a different role than Gai, no matter what was that, she's also important.

* * *

_"Okasama!" Kyouna screamed in horror when she saw Keiko stood with a kunai stuck on her chest, right through her heart. She turned to seek another help but she saw the shinshoku and samurai from her group were dead. All of them were died, she was alone. She couldn't protect them, she let her mother died. _

_"Che, she died." A man who stood behind her mother throw her body to the ground, walked to her and stopped to see the corpse. "So you're survived from our attack. Now, she's dead, you'll follow her little girl." He swung his kunai and dashed to her directions."Die!" _

* * *

Kyouna shot up from her sleep, she got that nightmare again, that was her worst memory she ever had in life. She felt sick with them because it was too vivid to forget. Of course, who could forget the death of their dearest people, especially their parents. She wiped her sweat and gazed the ceiling in confuse until she realized that a IV was infused to her hand. _Hospital? _The door slowly sliding open and Kakashi stood there sighing in relief when he saw that girl already opened her eyes and sit on the bed, he decided to step in and greet her._ "Ohayo."_

Kyouna turned her head and surprised with the owner of the voice. Kakashi stood on the doorway, showing his curving single eye and waived his gloved hand to her. She titled her head towards him and examined the jōnin with narrowed eyes.

"Are you smiling?" She pointed her finger to his masked face. Kakashi laughed, she was act like Kyouna once he knew in his past. That cynical sentence and annoyed look from her eyes she used to teased him.

"You can't see it? Hmm."

"Of course not, you hide it behind your mask." She scowled, her eyebrows furrowed and tapping her chin. "Em..."

"Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi mentioned his name, he just afraid the girl lost her memory again because the hit, Tsunade said they needed to wait for her to wake before finding any damaged with her memory or not, but he just worried.

"Huh?" Kyouna raised an eyebrow at him and rubbed her temple. "What are talking about Bakakashi?" Kakashi sweat dropped, bakakashi was his nickname given by her when they were a kid and gladly used by Obito to tease him. That boy liked that name and frequent used it to call him.

_"Are you that genius Kakashi?" Kyouna raised an eyebrow and examined at him in disbelief. "I told you before, don't take yokai lightly. You are baka Kakashi!" She scolded the boy after tended his wound and was in silent for a moment. "Right, you're bakakashi!" Kyouna exclaimed and grinned at him._

He was about to say something before he flinched, that nickname. She called him _that_, he blinked at the girl, didn't believe in his ears. Kyouna glanced back at him with eyebrows raised at his reaction, her bright blue eyes were sparkling and looked alive. "Kakashi, are you alright?" she snapped her fingers in front of his face. He blinked again.

"_Yare yare_, you look different Kakashi, weren't you just back from Bird country?" She leaning back. "By the way, what am I doing in hospital?" Kyouna looked around the room in confuse, she didn't remember get sick before. Yesterday she was cleaning the house and-, _huh?_ What did she do then? Her face scrunched.

"Kyouna, y-y-you remember me?" Kakashi stammered still in his disbelief look on his face with his visible eye widened at her.

"What are you talking about, Kakashi. Of course, I remember the stupid masked face with that spiky hair. You're always around me for years." She scratched the back of her head, she was completely blanked with his reactions. That man seemed so surprised.

"What? Do you plan to leave again? For how long? I'll against it if you're planning to go for more than a month." Kyouna crossed her hands and pouted, she had enough with Kakashi's long-term missions. Last time he gone they had so much trouble with some ninja and she always ended up in hospital the next day.

"No, no. I just -" Kakashi didn't continue, he pinch his cheek and grimaced in hurts. He pulled his _hitae-ate_ and revealed his sharingan, but Kyouna still there. Sitting on the bed and glaring at him, that wasn't a genjutsu. She opened her mouth to spat but cut by the door that suddenly slided open, the blonde woman with her assistant come in.

"Sizune?" Kyouna blinked her eyes at the newcomers. "And Tsunade-hime? You're back." She exclaimed in excitement, but both Sizune and Tsunade looked surprised. They shared a look to Kakashi and found his expressions was same as them, he was surprise. Tsunade raised her eyebrows and smiled, so finally the girl was back.

"Ah, Kyouna-hime, we're back." She ushered Kakashi away to check her, Kyouna pouted she felt fine but let the medic nin examined her. Tsunade sighed in satisfy, she seemed fine, physically. "So, Kyouna, let's have a talk. Do you recognize me?" She pointed herself.

"You are Tsunade-hime, one of the legendary sannin." Kyouna nodded.

"And you are?"

"Tokugawa Kyouna."

"Who are they?" Tsunade switched her finger to Kakashi and Sizune behind her.

"She's Sizune, a medical-ninja, your apprentice. And that lazy faced guy is Hatake Kakashi, an ANBU captain." Her answer made the sannin smirked.

"Last questions, how old are you?"

"Twenty." Kyouna titled her head, she was absolutely confused with the questions she gave to her.

A grinned showed on her face when Tsunade faced the others, she believed that Kyouna was back with her previous life memories only to make Kakashi frowned in shock. He did understand what was really happened to the girl now, one thing he didn't understand was why should it happened. Being around her since her awakened just like walked with the time machine, a day ago, she was live in the present, but now, she was threw him to three years ago. She lived in the past.

"See, both of you realizes what's happen to her right? She had her memories from three years ago." Tsunade put a serious look on her face and continued. "She loses her current memories again, but it's fixable. I guess, but if it didn't work, all we need to do is tell her everything. And I know who is the most suitable to tell that." She shifted her gaze to Kakashi.

Kakashi put his palm on his face, quite mentally tired with everything happened to him. He might be always brooding about his past but doesn't mean he liked to repeat the whole stories over again. It's feels the same like when Itachi stabbing him with the sword for three days when he caught in Tsukuyomi. That's killing him.

"Three years? What do you mean?" a small voice heard behind them, Kyouna was stared at them with widened eyes. She looked more surprised than before when she still lost her memories and been told that she had been under the seal for three years. That because last time she wasn't the normal Kyouna like he known, but today, the real woman was awake, and Kakashi knew it's not going to be easy.

* * *

Kakashi sit on the side of her bed and felt a little hurt at her reactions when he told everything she lost in last three years minus Naruto's stories, he didn't like it too but nothing could done to change what was done. _Right what's done is done_, Kakashi decided to let her calm for a while because she looked very shocked.

Kyouna wiped her tears, she was unconsciously crying when she heard the stories. She pulled her lips to force a smile, she felt bitter. After all she still messed everything up, if only she was stronger she won't ended up like this and Naruto will...she snapped. Kyouna suddenly jumped and gripped Kakashi's arm in horror when she finally remember about the boy.

"Naruto. How is he? Where is he? Is he still alive? Is he saved?" She frantically asked the man, Kakashi eye softened. Finally, _finally,_ she remembered about Naruto.

"He's fine, Kyona." Kakashi ruffled her hair and continued. "The good news is, he's now a ninja and he's in my genin team. He saw you when you're still lost your memory, but he didn't remember anything about you."

"Eh? Why?"

"Inoichi-san found a seal in his memory, did you remember when did you put it to him?"

Kyouna's eyes narrowed, _seal_, she never put any seal to Naruto. All she did remember were she agreed to lent her soul and removed from the memory of one of her dearest people. "That was the deal, but I don't know that they choose Naruto over you."

"What do you mean?"

"The deal was I lent them my soul and agreed to removed from one of my dearest people's memories, I put you in my mind but then suddenly Naruto ran to me and called me. I was worrying him and didn't realize thought about him when I sealed the demon."

Kyouna covered her face with her hands in distress, that what was happened, it's all her fault. "Maybe because of that he chose Naruto as the sacrifice. It's my entire fault. In the end, I put him in danger, I'm a horrible mother. I'm the worst." She started crying again.

Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder and awkwardly pulled her closer to his chest. He didn't know what to say to calm the girl but maybe a hug could make her calm, Kakashi winced when she cried even harder in his arms but he said nothing and unconsciously began running his hand through her black hair. He never been this closed to her before, he might had carry her, hold her hand but wrapped her to his was his first time and Kyouna was too sad to send him a punch for reward.

Few minutes later finally the girl stopped crying, she sniffling and broke out from Kakashi. He examined the girl carefully, afraid that she was hurt because of him. "Are you okay?" He asked Kyouna, she nodded and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, your flak jacket's wet."

"You have bigger problem, but you worry about my jacket? That's so not you." Kakashi rolled his eye, Kyouna scowled in reply but didn't argue. He was right, she had bigger problem than to worry about his jacket. But she wasn't sure how to fix everything she messed, where should she started? Kyouna rubbed her forehead.

"I don't have any power to undo the seal, besides, I don't know if the seal can be undo or not. It was originally placed by them, their powers were beyond mine."

"When I caught you, I met a pair of samurai who told me what was happen and said that you'll be unconscious for several times. Maybe if you ask them, you will find how to undo the seal."

Kyouna shook her head. "Kariya and Kojima are my demons, I can't summon them without my power."

"Demons? They looked like humans."

"They were samurai who died in betrayal and became a demon. I made a deal with them, if they helped me sealed the demon they'll get my power. Borrowing my power meant borrowed my sould, that's why I was unconscious. Fortunately they weren't the strongest like the dragons so I won't die. But now my power hasn't back yet, I couldn't do anything." Kyouna waived her hand "Now tell me everything about Naruto when I…um, I was sleeping. You took care of him right? Can I meet him?" Her eyes stared at him hopefully.

"Tell you everything? Jeez…it's going to take some times, you know." Kakashi sighed but obeyed her request, he was torn between relief and guilt at this conversation. He sure Kyouna will kill him right away when she found out that he broke his promise to protect the boy.

* * *

Naruto walked tiredly with Kiba that afternoon, they were sending to escort a delivery mission of Kachō fūgetsu to Habotangai, where it will be display in an exhibition. A strange teacup that said a very valuable treasure and worth enough to buy a mountain or two. The creator, Shin'emon always put them in danger just to protect his own interests. In the end, the teacup was destroyed, but that damn man simply decided to make another pot before the exhibition, much for Kiba and Naruto's dismay and suffered.

"I really hate that man!" Kiba gritted his teeth remember the world-famous potter who was obsessed with his work. "We should teach him something, at least our gatsuga will clear his brain." He clenched his fist and Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Yeah, he's the worst." Naruto stretched his arms. "However the mission is done, I'm going to celebrate it with ramen Ichiraku. Yosh!"

"You're always eats ramen, no wonder you become idiot."

"_Nani_?!" He yelled to Kiba, the Inuzuka boy shrugged and walked to Ichiraku's direction. Scowling Naruto started to follow his friend, he was too hungry to argue with him. A large portion of pork miso ramen could be perfect to celebrate the day, although Kiba insult his diet habit that boy came along with him to eat ramen.

"Oy, Naruto. I haven't seen your team had training again." Kiba asked the boy when he gave a slice of his pork to Akamaru, Naruto drank his soup and ordered the second bowl before replied.

"Uh-huh. Sakura was busy with her medical training with Tsunade-baachan, and ero-sennin still haven't back."

"You can't slack off idiot, or you will never get stronger."

"_Urusai._ I know that, but I don't have any particular training without partner or sensei."

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

"I haven't meet him again lately." Naruto dug his second ramen and slurped his noodle. "Last time I met him when we have a boring mission in shrine. He has gone for whole day and I ended up training with shinshoku before he back and abort the mission."

"I overheard something about Kakashi-sensei when Kurenai-sensei talked with Asuma-sensei and Genma-sensei." Kiba stared his bowl tried to remember. "They said he was sent for a personal mission."

"Huh? Personal mission? I haven't heard about that."

"I don't know, I remember Genma-sensei said 'the princess is back he'll get busy'."

"The princess?" Naruto muttered to himself.

* * *

"Kyou…na?" Kakashi carefully called the girl who looked like ready to explode, her grip to the blanket gotten harder. She ducked her head and bit her lower lip to suppress her emotions. She was in urge to punch something or someone, but that wasn't because Kakashi's explanations or her anger to him. That because today she got too much information about the result of her hastily action three years ago, that's angered the council and they were set Kakashi apart from Naruto.

They're ignoring her last request, although she already sent her testament to Sandaime and saved a copy in Kakashi's study. She sacrificed herself to protect the village and asked nothing except giving her custody of Naruto to Kakashi, but they still didn't grant it. She should remember that dealing with the council was hard.

"Ugh, Kakashi. Just kill me." She whispered, losen her grip and put a palm on her face. "I don't deserve to survive after all I've done to him. I made his life more miserable."

"Then you knew I made it worse, I broke the promise, I'm not at his side when you're gone."

"That's the council's decisions."

"Oh so, you broke the rules once for saved him. I didn't expect this reaction from you."

"What did you expect then?"

Kakashi shrugged and answered flatly. "You went rage calling me a trash and kill me."

"I won't." Kyouna shook her head. "Because breaking the rules wasn't fit to you, and now I'm not strong enough to kill you."

"Then I won't kill you too."

"Eh? Why? You're an assassin that an easy quest to kill someone." Kakashi chuckled at that, she wasn't pay attentions to his stories except about Naruto.

"I was. As I told you, now I'm a regular jōnin and Naruto's sensei. Beside you wish me to kill my own friend? That's ridiculous, I won't grant that though you begging on me with that teary eyes." Kakashi gave her a half mocked replied, it worked because Kyouna rubbed her swollen eyes with her hands and pouted.

"I'm done crying." Kyouna stopped rubbing her eyes. "It won't change anything. Man…it's suck. In the end, I always be the useless one and ruined everything." She's sighing heavily and back to stare her blanket again in thought until a daisy caught her eyes. Kakashi threwn it there, he knew her enough to realize that she was lost in her thought again.

"Cheer up, you will disappoint the visitors." Kakashi stared the door for a second before he scowled and spat. "Come in you source of chaos." Kyouna followed his gaze and widened her eyes when the door slided open and all the faces she knew appear with broad smile on their faces.

Kurenai, Asuma, Genma, and Gai showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a full basket of fruits on their hand. Kurenai marched in and hugged her friend, she was very glad to see her again. Three years they've been told not to put a high hopes through her, she could be died anytime, but now she's here, alive. Hokage released the news to Genma as her _goei shōtai_ that Kyouna was able to have a visit.

"Well, hello sleeping princess, _okaeri_." Genma grinned and offered his bouquet to her, Kyouna blinked at them from Kurenai's shoulder before she smiled and nodded to them as Kurenai released her hug.

"_Hai. __Tadaima_."


	13. Chapter 13

Standard procedure of disclaimer ; i still don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Kakashi watched his friends talking happily with Kyouna especially Kurenai and Gai in silent, he let them showered the girl with the cheerfulness that he didn't have and chose to move to corner of the room and looked outside the window. Asuma who realized that something bothered the copy nin, he walked to approached him and put a hand to his shoulder, signaling to follow him to canteen. Cigarette didn't allowed in the hospital, his mouth started to feel bitter.

"We'll look for a drink, anyone wants one?" Asuma offered to his friends. They mentioned each drink that they wanted to and walked outside after he made sure himself that he got all the names in his mind, Kakashi followed him behind.

"What is it Kakashi? You didn't happy with her awaken?" Asuma lit his cigarette and took a seat beside his friend. Kakashi took a deep breath and sighing before he opened his cold tea.

"A little."

"Right, that little thing can bother your mind, hmm?" Kakashi shrugged, he knew he couldn't hide it from Asuma.

"Ah, it's about something she said about her sealing technique that almost cost her life. She said she made a deal with demons to seal another demon, the costs were her power and removed from someone's memories." Kakashi drank all his drink and crushed the can with his hand. "I just don't get it." _Moreover she said she chose me over naruto at the first place but then she failed._

"Why don't you ask her?" Asuma replied flatly and made Kakashi glanced at his side in annoyance.

"Thanks to you, I don't have a chance."

Asuma snorted. "Oh believe me, you have. You're just afraid to ask her." The Sandaime's son restrained himself not to snicker when he saw the changed on his friend's eye. He might be hid his face with the mask but he knew Kakashi well enough. "So, ready to leave your bachelor title this year?"

"Huh?" Kakashi blinked in confusion at the question.

"Don't tell me you got the amnesia too, Kakashi." Asuma sighed and patted his friend's back. "I know you're concerning her health and Naruto, but you can't let your marriage plan abandoned."

Kakashi's lazy eye widened, he didn't expect that his friends still remember the plan. Of course since her awaken, he kept wondering whether there would be a wedding or not. After a whole month, she lost her memories and now she's back, when he knew that she had her memories back when she still twenty, inwardly he hoped the girl would brought out the topic but he had to bit his disappointment because Kyouna was too focused on her little brother than him. He shrugged to reply, he didn't know how to answer.

* * *

Kurenai was a little chattier than usual, her calm and big sister demeanor was gone. She transferred into a chatty woman showered her with information she already knew but she tried listened patiently. Gai and Genma was gone for duty calls, Asuma and Kakashi still haven't back yet from their 'break'. Kurenai took it as a chance to have a girl talk with her, things she missed since one of her gang gone. Anko was bold, she was soft but Kyouna was, well, kind of lost, her innocence about shinobi life and boys somewhat cute.

She noticed that the younger girl wasn't listen her stories but lost in her own world again, gently Kurenai touched her hand and shook it. Kyouna snapped and grinning sheepishly to her. "Let me guess, is it about Naruto again, hmm?"

Kyouna nodded weakly, she felt tired of her uselessness. Kurenai leaned her back to the chair. "I know you started to blame yourself again, but Kyouna you're not the only one who blamed yourself. Kakashi couldn't stop blamed himself of leaving you behind for a mission a day before your wedding."

"He might be looked fine but deep inside he's hurt, he couldn't protect you nor Naruto. He almost lost you, we lost you and you keep telling yourself that you're the one who couldn't do anything that day." Kurenai coolly continued as she saw Kyouna's expressions changed. "He always visits you almost every day to report about Naruto, and he retired from ANBU only to reduce his missions so he had more time to watch both of you."

"I…I don't know, he didn't tell." Kyouna stammered and her eyes began to glaze, but there were no tears fell.

"My, I didn't know that you're so fragile Kyō." Kurenai sighing but gave her a slight smile. "So, how's about the wedding? It's delayed for three years."

"Eh, uhm…" The red eyes jōnin refrain not to laugh as Kyouna's face gotten redder.

"Don't worry as far as we know, he didn't so attached to a girl beside you. You're safe." Kurenai's smiling as mischievously as Genma used to be.

"Oh shut up Kurenai!" Kyouna snapped and looked away, her engagement with Kakashi always been the topic to teased them by their friends. The aloof high ranked shinobi and the lost minded miko, they were the strangest couple in the village.

"Please, Kyō. You knew how's hard our work to prepare the wedding, then suddenly you left us and fallen asleep. I only hope your wedding kimono still fit or Anko will set diet training for you."

"I don't need diet Kurenai, instead I need to gain more weight."

"And height."

"Hey, stop teasing me about my height. That's his fault to be a tall guy."

"And his spiky hair make it worse, you looked more like a child." Kurenai giggling at the pouted miko, beside her engagement, Kyouna always hated to be teased because of her height. She was average but still the smallest among her friends. Borrowing Genma's words, she was petite like a doll.

"Who had the child?" Asuma who suddenly entered the room asked the girls in surprise. His girlfriend and Kakashi's fiancé talking about child could be something. Kyouna jumped in shock on her bed while Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"You and your bad habit, Asuma. Try to knock the door before entered the room." She scolded the bearded man who scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Beside, we didn't talk about child, I said Kyo's looked like a child."

"Sorry for that, but it is time Kurenai." He nodded to the older woman. "Get well soon, princess. Don't let your prince's waiting." Asuma grinning to his friends.

"I have to go, duty calls." Kurenai hugged her 'little sister' and winked at her before she left the room. "Remember about our talk and I'll tell Anko when I back from mission she'll stormed to you for sure."

Kyouna's pouted and looked away as she tried to hid her totally red face from Kakashi, it's always uncomfortable for her to be teased like that. Especially when Kakashi was with her, although the masked man never said anything she didn't knew what he's been thinking, and she didn't want to make him thought any strange about her.

"Well, Tsunade-sama said you can go home tomorrow." Kakashi took a sit back to the chair beside her, pulled out his orange book from his pouch and continued. "Which home do you prefer?" Kyouna titled her head in confusion.

"Which one?"

"Well, I forgot to tell you that the shrine was finished, your grandpa was here and you've been spent your whole sealed times in the shrine. Practically you've been lived there, or did you prefer our old house?" he said without turning his gaze from the book. "But, after that incident I've moved back to my old place and Naruto got his own apartment. It's been abandoned."

"Again?" She winced, that house was old enough when they moved there for the first time. It's abandoned for almost twelve years and now Kakashi left it again. "I would be surprised if the house is still standing." She sneered.

"Belive me it's still standing. That place was too big for me to living alone." Kyouna's eyes narrowed, she looked at the book on Kakashi's hand intently.

"What book are you reading?"

"Huh?" Kakashi looked up from his book. "Oh this? It's Icha-icha paradise, Jiraiya-sama's book."

"Ji…Jiraiya-sama?" Kyouna blinked, with her left hand she snatched the book from Kakashi. "Give me that!"

"Oiy!" Kakashi was surprised, Kyouna read the book for a moment before her eyes widened at the content of the book. She turned and glaring at the man.

"You read this?"

"What? I'm almost twenty seven." Kakashi glared back at her with his single visible eye, totally failed to scare her. Kyouna only stared dully at him waiting for him to say something more intellectual than telling her his age, although it's quite surprised her knowing him already reached twenty six meant she's already twenty four last month. Grunted, Kyouna threw the book back to its owner.

"Do as you wish, as long as you're not reading that in front of Naruto." Kakashi snatched the book and lazily opened back his latest page.

"Well, since our first met he knew I read this book." That's surprised the girl, she was completely frozen at his words when Kakashi added. "He's even met Jiraiya-sama, that sennin taught him the rasengan. Huh, oiy, Kyouna?"

"I want to meet him." She whispered, Jiraiya, the toad sage who never been in Konoha for more than a year already met the boy and taught him something. "I want to see Naruto."

* * *

Naruto was back from Hokage building, he bumped with Iruka sensei on the way and had ask the academy teacher whether he saw his sensei or not, unfortunately he said the man was seen last time reporting to the Hokage in mission room to get his mission and left the village. He still peeved with Kakashi after the short and very suspicious mission last time, after seeing teacher-student relationship between Lee and Gai when they rescued the green beast from Yagura, Naruto couldn't help but envied their bond.

Kakashi was a cool ninja, he had sharingan and copied a thousands jutsu. Only his tardiness and aloof manners ruined his image, he's a pervert adult and always put Sasuke first than himself, especially in chūnin exam. Sakura wasn't counted because she didn't passed to final, but that's still not fair for him, he's also the member of team seven. After Sasuke left the village, Kakashi-sensei never gave him any training, he even barely seen him.

"Compared to bushier brows-sensei, Kakashi-sensei is more uncaring teacher." He grumbled along the way, all his friends were off on missions or had their own training with their teacher. "Argh, I don't care! I will fill my stomach with Ichiraku ramen! Yosh!" Naruto shouted and ran happily to the ramen stand, he doesn't pay attention to the road while running and bumped with a woman who suddenly appeared from the bend and they're collided.

"Aaw…It…hurts." Naruto rubbed his head, big lump formed on his head because the hit. He looked up and saw the woman he bumped with was also sitting on the ground and rubbed her head across him, he couldn't see her face because her hair was very long and covered her face. "Gomen, nee-chan. I didn't see you coming, are you hurt? Let me take you to hospital."

The woman groaned in pain and shifted. "No. No. Not hospital again, don't worry, I'm fine." Slowly she stood and patted the dust from her pant, tucking her hair behind her ear and turned. Naruto blinked when he finally saw her face.

"GHOST!" he screamed in horror, pointing his finger to the girl. Kyouna raised an eyebrow in confuse, that little boy was bump with her and now he's afraid of her. Besides, why he called her ghost? Last time she checked she didn't looked like one.

"_Ano_, kid. Are you okay?" Kyouna moved forward, tried to touch the boy, but Naruto stepped backward. "Uhm, kid. Look, I'm not a ghost." She tried again, Naruto stopped shouting but he still kept their distance. Sighing Kyouna showed her feet. "See, my feet are on the ground. I'm not a ghost."

Naruto averted his gaze to her feet and gulped."Oh, right. Sorry." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought you're a ghost, because your hair is extremely long and covered your face."

Kyouna blinked her eyes for a moment before she's bursting in laugh at his innocent statement about her apparent. "It's been a while since someone saying that I'm looked like ghost." She wiped her tears from her eyes as she tried to control her laugh and that made Naruto frowned.

"I'm sorry." He stammered at the sight of hysteric laughter from the woman before him, but that's not the only thing surprised him.

"It's okay, I haven't laugh like this for…um, forever." Kyouna giggled as she saw the confused looked on the blonde boy's face and added. "And remember having an extremely long hair didn't count as ghost's characteristic. Watch your step kid, you might be hit another person."

"Eto, nee-chan are you sure you're okay?" Naruto examined the woman carefully.

"Yes, why did you ask?"

"Um, last time I saw you, you're not like this." Naruto tapped his hand as he remembered. "You wore white kimono and looked very pale. Especially your eyes, then you passed out."

Kyouna narrowed her eyes as she stared the boy thoughtfully, she never met this boy since her awaken, well she's been hospitalized anyway, she only met Kakashi and his friends. However, something in this boy was remaining her to a certain person, _and he said_ _he met me somewhere_. Suddenly Kakashi's voice repeated in her head, _he met you when you're still lost your memory, but he didn't remember anything about you. _

"Oh, never mind. I have to go, ramen's waiting. Bye nee-chan!" Naruto waved his hand and ready to make his ran.

"Wait, what's your name kid?" Kyouna who just realized that the boy already left shouted. Naruto stopped for a moment and turned around, with a pose he raised his fist to the air and shouted back with grin before he ran and gone from her sight, leaving her behind, stunned at her place in surprised.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage-dattebayo!"

* * *

**A/N.**

**Finally, since chapter 12 i got hard time to write the story. Don't wanna say about writer's block, i had worse, believe it. But honestly one of the reason is i write the prequels of this story*facepalm* and having hard time to draw my Oc, Kyouna, hehe, silly i know. But since i'm the one who create her i wanted her more believable. I already draw her in my style, but since it's a fandom of Masashi Kishimoto's, i tried to change her into Kishimoto's manga style and it didn't turn well. Hmmph, i still need a lot of practice and my thesis still hasn't finish *groan* i hope the next coming chapter 14 will come better. **

**Wulan-chan** : Hehe gomen ne, well thesis comes first isn't it? -_-"

**Prescripto13**: Oh you'll see why :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Well, as usual, i do not own Naruto.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Kyouna groaned inwardly, the head priest of Konoha shrine told her to meet him after dinner privately in his study. She just back for Kami's sake and she was happy to see that the shrine was finish and she could meet her grandpa again. Now she had her own room, not a medic room where she's been spent to sleep for three years, she saw it and decided never wanted to go back there anymore. Since Kakashi had to go for mission, and she felt there's no need to get back to their old house again, she decided to back to the shrine. Maybe she could think something about her mistakes to Naruto.

That little sunshine already grewn, he was not that little anymore. His golden hair and blue eyes still same, resembled of her uncle. Only he got tanner than his younger self, Kyouna needed to restrain her tears, when the boy said his name and grinning to her all she wanted to do when snapped out was ran and hug him like he always used to do everytime she went home, but of course he won't do that again.

_"He didn't remember anything about you."_ Kyouna clenched her fist, not only her, she removed all his childhood memories. That's all because of her stupid last minute decisions, and maybe now was the perfect time to discuss the proble with her master. Maybe he could help her, maybe there's something that she could do to fix the mess no matter it costs.

* * *

Tsurubuchi been dealing with supernatural thing and saw the most impossible thing in his whole life, and Kyouna's case wasn't surprised him. Although it's quite confusing because she lost her memories twice, but Tsurubuchi accepted what was happened to his foster grandchild. As her master and foster grandfather, he didn't like the things that befallen to her nor her actions which caused her self destruction. Losing her power and temporary memories, fallen asleep for three years and made her brother's memory erased. She could be selfish sometimes, but the most important thing he needed to know what was happened when she fight and what action she took that caused the huge damage like that, although he already had a good guess about that.

"So I guess you already knew why I want to talk with you?" Tsurubuchi stared his granddaughter, actually he's not her real grandfather, he's the bestfriend of Keiko's uncle who taught her and ended up being Kyouna's master.

"Yes." Kyouna replied shortly without averted her serious gaze from him.

"Better you tell me everything." He took a deep breath and repeated. "Everything."

"_Hai_. Sensei." The young woman took a deep breath before she started. "I think you already knew the detail of the incident, the untold story was about the technique that I used to seal him and caused this mess. Do you remember about Nagakawa clan?"

"That was Nagawaka Kagenobu, he sold his body and soul to demons and changed him into them. He said it when we fought that if his clan had the same contract like ours, the Saishu title and the regalia would be theirs. He planned to take the regalia from me, but because I didn't have it he gone mad and went rampage by changing himself into demon."

"Since I didn't have the _Yata no Kagami_, I can't beat him." Kyouna sighed, she hated this part so much. "I summoned Kozima and Kariya but they still couldn't help much, I can't hold the barrier for any longer and decided to use that technique."

Tsurubuchi gasped. "You mean 'that' technique?"

"Yes, the trading sealing technique." Kyouna nodded.

"What was you trade with them? Your power?"

"_Hai._ I know they aren't as strong as the other, but only them I could summon up without the mirror. I trade my power for three months, and agreed to be erased from Kakashi's memories."

"Did you forget that a month for them is a year for us, why did you chose Kakashi? He's your closest and first friend, and why it's turned to erased all Naruto's in the end?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's because when we've done the contract and in the middle of sealing him, Naruto ran to me. I was worried if he got hurt when he got closed with me, maybe because I was unconsciously thought about him and that made Kojima thought he's the sacrifice."

"Then?"

"I…I don't know, all I remember was they took me to jump and slashed his head then I started to feel sleepy. Last thing I remember that I was falling."

Seeing his granddaughter closed her eyes in grief Tsurubuchi couldn't help but felt sorry, it was him at the first place who took the regalia with him in his escape to Land of Spirit though he knew the girl was the true heir. If only Keiko didn't agree his plan to protect the regalia while the enemies distracted to get them Kyouna would be able to save her group, Keiko wouldn't have to die and she wouldn't have to use the forbidden sealing technique.

"I'm sorry my dear, if only you have the regalia with you. This wouldn't-"

"No, you shouldn't." Kyouna cut her master. "There's no use to say if only, what's done is done sensei."

The old priest sighed. "You're right. So what will you do now?"

"I want to fix it, but I need my power back. Did.-"Kyouna hesitated but asked. "Did my power completely gone sensei?"

"Theoretically, you will lose all your power if the contract was decided to undone. Your ancestor made it with the dragons, the demons were only their subordinates. They won't consume your whole power or undone the contract though anything you deal with them will still caused something like what was happened to you."

There's a long paused when the old priest crossed his arms as he tried to think every possibilities of this case, in his life he never saw or found any member of Nishikawa clan so worked up in dealing with demons it's their specialty, it's in their blood. Remembering Kyouna's opponent was from their long lost rival, Nagakawa clan. One of two priestly clans along with Nishikawa clan who had long performed religious services and handled the rituals in Uzushiogakure proved by shared the identical pendant, which could be combined to show that both clans was an influential clans in the village.

Later, the descendant of Nishikawa clan made the contract with the dragons and seized their power including their political power that strengthen the clan and was weakening the Nakagawa clan and caused a conflict between the long rivalries clans. The conflict reached the climax when the Nishikawa appointed as the Master of Ceremony (_Saishu_) and took over the important regalia. The Nakagawa soon came to be oppose the Nishikawa and tried to take them down by seek another source of power to match their power.

When the Uzushiogakure destroyed and all of the Nishikawa clan was cleanse when defending the village -except Keiko and him who ran away to Kazan no Kuni- the Nakagawa was left to nowhere. He never heard anything about that clan anymore until he reached Konoha three years ago and found the unconscious Kyouna with the complete pendant of her necklace. She might take the Nakagawa's pendant to give him the clue that the clan was coming after her.

"So, what should I do now?" Kyouna broke the heavy silent between them, she's quite disturbed with her own weakness. Tsurubuchi wasn't part of the clan by blood, he's the best friend of her mother's father, a foster brother who helped her mother out of the village and taught her. He shouldn't took any burden of her clan business, not anymore, but she couldn't do anything to prevent him from meddling with it. "Do you think re-training me could bring my power back? I need to meet Kojima and Kariya as soon as possible."

"Honestly, honey. After hearing the truth, I'm not sure I can help much, but it's worth to try. What makes you in hurry? You know the steps of this training." Kyouna hesitated, she bit her lip and take a deep breath.

"I met Naruto today." Tsurubuchi saw her eyes saddened. "Just like Kakashi said, he didn't recognized me. And it's hurt, when I heard about his life from the other it's hurt me. I'm the cause of his miserable life, if only I didn't gone he won't be alone."

"You had no choice at that time. That wasn't your fault." He tried to console her, though he knew that it won't change her mind.

"Everyone told me that, but I can't think like that. Not until I fixed everything." Kyouna sighed tiredly, today had been very long day for her. "I think I'm going to bed. I'll start the training tomorrow." She stood and bowed a little before she walked out the room."I'm looking forward to re-train with you, sensei."

"Wait, one more question." Tsurubuchi stopped the girl. "Why Kakashi?"

Kyouna didn't turned and closed her eyes, decided not to answer the question and closed the door "_Oyasumi_, Jiichan."

* * *

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably in his chair, he's just finished his mission and that was too easy to be ranked in S-rank for him but Konoha was still far away from the village he'd been stay in its inn. He just wanted to go home, to Konoha. It's been a while since he had the same feeling like this, that was started since he back to his family house. Strange, but soon after the orange ball of energy of his sensei's son came to his life with his dim light of a sister he finally at ease.

He didn't forget all the lost and pain that he got, but four years after the death of Minato he finally felt the warmth of a family again, before it's taken away again from him. He still remember it clearly how nice its felt when he came home and found himself 'attacked' by little Naruto, got scolded but still treated if he got injured from mission with Kyouna's medicine. Though it's completely different with medic-nin technique her traditional medicine felt more effective than went to hospital.

He had a great meal and enjoyed reading time in their living room while Kyouna struggled to teach the super energetic Naruto, in the weekend or if he got day off, Naruto will bugged him to train in their backyard or both of them dragged to help Kyouna cleaned the house. The yellow ball of energy and the dark kitchen queen was one of the best things he had to remind him that he still a human, not a heartless killing machine as his job in ANBU's assassinate squad.

The jōnin sighed as he stared the moon from his room, remembering the reaction that Kyouna showed when she knew the truth he couldn't imagine how's Naruto reaction if he knew that he had the last remaining family. That boy might be very angry because he hid it from him, moreover, he let him suffered those pain because he couldn't protect him or his sister and left him alone. That's all because he weak.

He didn't have the same rebellious nature like Kyouna against the council decision when they retracted Kyouna's custody of Naruto and ignored her will to gave it to Kakashi if something happened to her. If only he could be a little braver to break the curse loop in him. _If only… _

* * *

Naruto awoke with his stomach rumbling loudly, he felt very hungry and craving for a big bowl of ramen for breakfast before he started his random mission day again. Yawned, he kicked off his blanket and grudgingly walked to bathroom.

"Yosh, today I'm going to have a very cool mission from Tsunade baachan!" He grinned at his reflection on the mirror before he walked out the apartment and jumped off around the roof to his favorite place. He landed perfectly in front of the ramen place but something held him to walked into the bar, he suddenly felt someone watched over him. Due to his ninja training he might still lack in basic training, including sharpened his awareness, but this time was very strong feeling. Someone was watching him.

Naruto turned and looked around but he couldn't find anything suspicious, the road was quite because it's already passed the breakfast time. He checked again then shrugged, giving up at his cluelessness and walked into the bar, called out his order. "Teuchi-ossan, _miso chāshū ōmori_!"

Without he realized, a dark shadow watched him from the roof of that ramen restaurant, before he finally vanished when the boy entered the bar.

* * *

**a.n**

Yo, it's been a month since i updated the story, well, don't kill me. I'm gonna updated it again, doesn't mean i already freed from the toughness of thesis writing but at least for now i could take a breath haha. well i hope you like the story :)


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